INVENTORY OF THE NATIONAL ESTATE

For the purposes of the consolidation and co-ordination of information on heritage resources, Section 39 of the Act requires SAHRA compile and maintain an Inventory of the National Estate, which must be in the form of a database of information on heritage resources, which it considers to be worthy of conservation, including-

all places and objects protected through the publication of notices in the Gazette or Provincial Gazette, whether in terms of this Act or provincial legislation;
places and objects subject to general protections in terms of this Act or provincial legislation for the management of heritage resources;
any other place and object which it considers to be of heritage significance; and
all places and objects with which it and its predecessors have been involved.

It is envisioned that the heritage resources database, which forms the backbone of the Inventory of the National Estate will be a tool for heritage management at all levels of governance and for the general public.

The database will hold information relating to the heritage resources of South Africa, enabling the efficient collection, management and dissemination of information while building links between heritage and planning, research, and tourism, as well as setting standards in heritage management.

The database will be spatially referenced, and web interactive, and hopefully provide a forum for discussion and research interaction.

Old databases inherited from the National Monuments Council are currently being converted and drawn into a single database. The format and standards for the new SAHRA database are being established, and information sharing protocols and systems are being set up with outside heritage organizations and tertiary organizations.

Transformation funding has been received with thanks from Department of Arts and Culture for two projects this year – the establishment of an inventory of graves of victims of conflict, as well as a national register of archeological sites, both serving to help establish the Inventory of the National Estate.