|
The home of Dr Alfred Xuma is to become a museum bringing the vibrancy of the old suburb to a new people.
Dr Alfred Bitini Xuma, Sophiatown's respected doctor
THE City and the owners of Dr AB Xuma's house in Sophiatown have agreed
on the sale price for the building, which is to be converted into a
museum.
Eric Itzkin, the deputy director of immovable heritage in the
department of arts, culture and heritage services, says an amicable
agreement with the owners was reached on Wednesday, 19 September. They
will vacate the house in January 2008.
In January this year the City of Joburg Property Company (JPC) called in
professional valuers, who assessed the worth of the house at
R1,2-million, the price that the owners have accepted.
Alfred Bitini Xuma was the president-general of the African
National Congress from 1939 to 1949, and a long-time resident of
Sophiatown. His house was one of several buildings that escaped the
bulldozers when the suburb was flattened in the 1950s and '60s. It was
declared a national monument in 1998.
Sophiatown was a lively, cosmopolitan suburb, spawning jazz players,
writers and singers until the apartheid government relocated its 65 000
residents from 1955, and renamed it Triomf. Father Trevor Huddleston
lived in the suburb for 12 years. His ashes are buried in the grounds
of the Christ the King Anglican Church in Ray Street.
Valuers Hendrik Kamffer and Linky Mamoepa established that the
property, consisting of two erven of 676m² and 463m², was evaluated in
2001 by the municipality as worth R360 000. They state that the
valuations "do not necessarily represent the market value".
The property, at 73 Toby Street, consists of a single-storey
dwelling with an entrance hall, lounge, TV room, kitchen, scullery and
pantry, guest toilet, three bedrooms, a play room, two bathrooms (one
en suite), and a stoep. Outbuildings consist of a double garage, two
rooms with a kitchenette, laundry, toilet and basin, plus a Jacuzzi
room. The property also has a swimming pool.
The valuers indicate that properties in the suburb sold for
between R600 000 and R850 000 between July and September last year.
"Taking all present information into account, I regard the most
probable market value of the property, as at date of valuation, to be
R1,2-million, VAT excluded," they say.
The house as it would have been when Dr Xuma lived in it
The City has agreed that the Trevor Huddleston Memorial Centre
(THMC) will operate a museum at the house, to be called the Sophiatown
Museum. The City's library services will place Xuma's historic book
collection in the house as a permanent exhibit, along with any other
relevant material from the City's museum collections.
Michael Angus, the executive manager of the THMC, says he is
looking forward to establishing the museum, which will recreate the
lively spirit of Sophiatown.
The arts, culture and heritage services department will train
staff and offer support and guidance to the THMC. Research has already
begun towards its opening exhibition.
In time, the museum will be part of the Sophiatown heritage
precinct, an effort launched by the City in 2004 to revive the rich
history of the suburb as well as boost the tourist experience of
Johannesburg.
Related stories:
|
