Jurgen Witt first came to South Africa on a ship from Sweden in 1952.
This after his Uncle, who had been residing in East Africa had had his land confiscated in 1939 after the break out of the war as it fell under enemy property.
It was said that those people who had their land taken away could apply to get their property back, but applications had to be done from a British dominion.
South Africa was therefore one of those places and Witt came to SA in order to assist his Uncle with the task.
He arrived with no capital, only a one pound note he was given by a Swedish woman as he left the ship.
Before his move, he had always been interested in African artefacts.
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Even though he and his uncle failed in their quest to get the land in East Africa back, Witt fell in love with South Africa and decided to stay. Moreover, financially at the time, going back was not an option.
In 1960, Witt and his German wife moved to the Tzaneen area and Witt continued to improve on his collection of artefacts.
His interest was largely in pottery, “Some people did not recognise it as art. But I insisted it is, in its own way,” says Witt, “There is so much experience embedded in each piece.”
Witt is enamoured by the skill and craftsmanship that goes into creating each pot, “They have no wheel to turn the clay or to make the walls even. Each piece must rest on one single point.”
He emphasises that pottery has been used in the area for the last 1500 years and although its purpose is one of practicality, the pieces are decorated to make them an object of art.
Witt did not want the history enveloped in pottery to be lost, “The pottery is a representative of the area and the cultures” and additionally, feels it of great importance that African artefacts remain in Africa.
Many pieces are being traded overseas and Witt wants to ensure that some artefacts remain in the land on which they were crafted.
Soon his collection was vast and Witt approached the Tzaneen Town Council in 1965 to establish a museum, selling much of his collection to the Town Council.
Soon thereafter, there was a change in local Government, the museum plans were quashed and the collection sold on to a private collector.
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Witt began to collect again, largely from scratch, adamant not to lose the local cultures embodied in the pottery artefacts.
He, along with other museum committee members, took on the challenge of approaching the Town Council again and the museum was officially opened by the then Mayor, Felix Masinge, on June 24, 1995.
Twenty-three years in existence, the museum on Agatha Street is worth a visit and a tour by Witt is not to be missed.
His passion and enthusiasm for indigenous artefacts is contagious and unquenchable.
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According to the Macmillan Travel Guide, “If you’re interested in African art and history, this is undoubtedly one of the top provincial museums in the country. The museum, containing the private collection of dedicated curator, Jurgen Witt, consists of four small rooms filled with over a thousand well-travelled exhibits relating to the traditions and history of the North Sotho, Tsonga and Venda.”
The FootPrint South Africa Handbook says, “A visit to the museum is a must, where one can view one of the finest collections of African art household objects in the whole of South Africa… Do not be deceived by its size or the building, this is one of the best museums in South Africa, and it deserves far greater recognition and resources.”
The museum is open Monday-Friday 09:00-16:00 and Saturday 09:00-12:00.
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