One of the foremost national heritage sites in our country – Liliesleaf, situated in Rivonia – is overgrown and receiving no maintenance.
CEO of the heritage site Nicholas Wolpe said the site is in a dire financial crisis as a consequence of Covid-19, forcing it to remain closed. None of the 31 staff who work at the site have been paid since December last year and therefore none have returned to work to maintain the space.
“I am absolutely heartbroken to see the historical site look so neglected and run down,” said Wolpe.
Having put nearly 20 years of his life into not only preserving the memory of the liberation struggle but developing Liliesleaf into what is considered to be a foremost historical site, this is a big blow for Wolpe.
He is saddened that the site has received no financial support from the government during the Covid pandemic.
“I have never seen this as a job but rather a work of passion that comes from the heart, strong belief and a commitment to preserving and protecting our liberation struggle history, which hangs on by a thread.”
“What needs to change is simple. Liliesleaf needs to address, sort and get out of this dire financial crisis which means the board of trustees need to actively come on board to assist and help me in securing the urgently required funding to meet immediate and medium-term operational expenses.”
Wolpe has been pleased to see neighbours from Curro Rivonia School willing to lend a hand with some garden maintenance. He encourages community members to assist in this crisis by volunteering their time to maintain the site on a regular basis or donating financially to Liliesleaf.
Teacher in charge of social action at Curro Rivonia Lauren Winkelmann said a team of 30 children from the school visited the site recently to lend a hand with weeding and other maintenance tasks.
“We hope to return each week and continue the work little by little,” added Winkelmann.
“We realised that this is the perfect opportunity for us to help people in our community who are struggling. The site has so much value and so much for the children to learn from it.”
To offer your assistance or find out more, email Nicholas Wolpe on Nic@llt.co.za
Related articles:
https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/282151/heritage-sites-are-getting-lost-in-translation/
https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/206170/today-history-55-years-ago-10-freedom-fighters-arrested-liliesleaf-farm/
