Much-needed repairs and renovations to Iziko’s house museum, Rust en Vreugd, have finally been completed and the 18th Century home is ready to welcome visitors back.
In 2020, the Simon van der Stel Foundation (SVDS), the oldest heritage lobby group in Cape Town, wrote a letter to Iziko Museums, stating its dissatisfaction with the lack of continued maintenance of the buildings of Iziko Museums.
Rust en Vreugd was built as a home for Willem Cornelis Boers, a high-ranking official of the VOC (Dutch East India Company) known as a fiscal, between 1777 to 1778.
In 1878, the house was bought by the Dutch Reformed Church and served as a teachers’ training college. The Cape Town High School occupied the property from 1925 to 1957, and in the early 1960s it was restored and converted into a gallery space.
Esther Esmyol, curator at Iziko Museums, says renovations at Rust en Vreugd started in May last year and were completed in December.
“The windows have been fixed up. The kind of paint that they use is limewash. You need a special craftsman that can mix that kind of paint and maintain the colour throughout. The house has some of the most beautifully carved door frames in Cape Town, so all the doors were painted.”
She explains that the last restoration there was done in the 1990s.
According to Esmyol, the South African National Gallery, the Bo Kaap Museum, and the South African Museum have all undergone much-needed paintwork.
She says the Old Town House at Green Market Square was also renovated but is not open to the public yet.
Esmyol admits that there are still museums, like Koopmans de Wet House, that have yet to undergo maintenance work. But she reiterates that the museums belong to the National Department of Transport and Public Works.
“These buildings don’t belong to Iziko Museums, they belong to the department. We are responsible for the maintenance and the management, the staff and the collections housed at these museums. But for the buildings, we have to lobby for money from the National Department of Sports Arts and Culture via the Public Works department to get the money released for maintenance work. We are excited to see these buildings, the exterior paintwork and woodwork which was in dire need of maintenance, spruced up.”
Ian Pretorius, chair of the SVDS, welcomes the renovations done at Rust en Vreugd and says he hopes this was not a once-off occurrence.
“We do hope allowance will be made in the budget of both Iziko and the Department of Public Works for continual maintenance in order to prevent this very important historical building from gradually sliding into a state of disrepair again. The gardens need some replanting. We are not sure if Iziko has a programme in place for doing so in future.”
Pretorius also calls for the museum’s opening hours to be extended.
“We are so disappointed in the fact that Rust en Vreugd is only open to the public on Thursdays and Fridays. Such limited opening hours is particularly bad for visitors from afar who probably will never see the precious and important Fehr collection on paper if their schedule does not include the above two weekdays.”
He adds: “Naturally, we are still very concerned about Koopmans de Wet House, Bertram House and The Old Town House (the latter two have been closed for many years now). Koopmans de Wet is only open on Thursdays and Fridays.”
Esmyol says they value the interest shown by the SVDS.
“We appreciate the Simon van der Stel Foundation. They are our eyes and ears out there. We need concerned citizens to speak up and to care.”
Esmyol says people can support the museum by visiting and hiring the venue.
“Come to the museum. I think people don’t know this museum exists. It’s like an oasis in the middle of Cape Town and it’s a wonderful place for functions like weddings or parties. The more people use the venue – to see the artwork, but also to have functions there – is how they can support us.”
Rust en Vreugd is open to the public on Thursdays and Fridays between 09:30 and 15:30.
- For bookings and guided tours, visit www.iziko.org.za for more information.
