- The Kildare Spring Memorial plaque is to be rewritten in a pursuit to restore the harmony and heritage shared by so many who came before and generations to come in Newlands and Claremont.
- A local heritage precinct is aimed to be developed by introducing a walking tour incorporating local landmarks that pay homage to significant histories shared by all who used to live in these areas.
As Human Rights Day was celebrated on Thursday 21 March, South Africans were reminded of the strides the nation has made since the advent of democracy. However, in Claremont and Newlands much is to be done to restore the harmony and heritage shared by so many who came before and generations to come.
One of the ways this rings true is the pursuit to rewrite the Kildare Spring Memorial plaque and to develop a local heritage precinct by introducing a walking tour incorporating local landmarks that pay homage to significant histories shared by all who used to live in these areas.
In a motion to Subcouncil 11, Ward 59 councillor Mikhail Manuel proposed that the current heritage plinth at Newlands Spring in Springs Way, previously undertaken by Subcouncil 20 during the Covid-19 era, be redone following the principles of community-driven planning.
This motion illustrates that “in June 2021, the City of Cape Town erected a heritage plinth with a plaque commemorating the history of the spring. Unfortunately, the process to determine the content of the plaque is flawed and resulted in a skewed recording of the area’s heritage.”
Beyond the shortcomings of the previous Newlands Spring heritage plinth project, Manuel argues, “the Claremont and Newlands area presents an important opportunity to memorialise the full complexity of the areas heritage and that of Cape Town more broadly”.
As the plinth stands along Newlands Spring, with its wording already whitewashed by the sun, generally recognises the spring’s role in the brewing industry and that of Anders Ohlsson, a Scandinavian businessman and politician who established Ohlsson’s Cape Breweries in 1896. Its predating Khoekhoen legacy, however, was merely recognised in a sentence referred to as locals that used to make use of the spring.
Manuel suggests that a walking tour be established to pay homage to the all-inclusive historical accounts of each landmark, as guided by the City of Cape Town’s Public Participation Unit.
“The draft proposal is designed to be within the boundaries of Ward 59 and include key landmarks and to ensure that the area is of an implementable scale for a Ward Allocation-funded project. Many of the landmarks were learnt about during the Heritage Walks organised by the Newlands Claremont Heritage, Environmental, and Restitution Society in September 2022,” he told People’s Post.
The landmarks include, but are not limited to, the Arderne Gardens, Claremont Civic Centre, the property on which Bed Centre currently sits, Bishoplea Park, Residential node behind Cavendish Square, Claremont Main Road Mosque, Kildare Spring, Newlands Village Business Node, Newlands Swimming Pool, Liesbeek River Trail, Josephine Mill, Newlands Brewery, and the Claremont Improvement District office.
The Chair of Upper Claremont Residents and Ratepayers Association (UCRRA) Alexis van der Merwe expressed their support “for the work being done by the city and the local community with regard the Heritage Walk Project and the drive to highlight and protect the history and heritage resources of the Claremont and Newlands areas, especially that related to the Upper Claremont Village”.
City responds to plinth at the Spring
In response, the City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayco member for spatial planning and environment Eddie Andrews recognises that the local subcouncil requested the City to memorialise the spring.
Referring to the plinth in its current state, Andrews recalls the ward councillor at that time requested the City’s environmental management department to develop the content and erect the plinth and plaque.
“The plaque and content were sent to the subcouncil for approval before it was erected at the site of the spring. Since the project was completed, the City has received a request from the new ward councillor and a local imam to revise the content of the plaque to be more representative,” says Andrews.
He continues in that the environmental management department once again agreed to develop the content in line with the request and replace the plaque.
“The City is currently working with the local Ward councillor Mikhail Manuel on the proposed content.
“The City will request the public to comment on the proposed content for the revised plinth once we are ready to commence with this process.”
While on a walk in the area, Manuel was reminded of how City Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis conferred Civic Honors on Krotoa in December last year. “Krotoa was an innocent girl, thrust into a difficult world and who ultimately rose to the challenge of leadership; shaping Cape Town and South Africa forever.”
He believes stories like these abound in the memory of Claremont and Newlands thanks to individuals, families, communities, and institutions that shaped Cape Town as we know it.
“Tangible and intangible heritage is a fundamental component of Cape Town’s identity – and is key to this heritage project. It is important that memorialising the heritage of Claremont and Newlands reaches as far back as possible.”
