Rocklands Community Hall declared a National Heritage Site

Rocklands Community Hall in Mitchell’s Plain, Cape Town, has been declared a National Heritage Site. The site was first unveiled as a Provincial Heritage Site in August 2019.

Rocklands Community Hall was the venue of a historic gathering on 20 August 1983, which saw the establishment of the United Democratic Front (UDF) and signified a turning point in the struggle against Apartheid. The gathering at Rocklands heralded a new phase in the Liberation Struggle as the UDF placed itself at the forefront of intensified and sustained mass protests that took place across South Africa between 1984 and 1986.

“The value of the Rocklands Community Complex lies in its political and social nature and is of outstanding significance for the memorialisation and acknowledgement of civil organisations and their role and contribution to our democratic society as experienced today,” said the Western Cape’s MEC of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Anroux Marais.

“The declaration of the Rocklands Community Hall as a National Heritage Site is indeed welcomed by the Western Cape Government as we can all agree that the value of the Rocklands community complex lies in its societal nature, amplified by its socio-political significance. We look forward to collaboratively sharing the significance of the newly declared National Heritage Site of erf 11553 at the Rocklands Community Hall and thank all who had a hand in the approval of the National Heritage Site status,” Marais added.

Done By: Mitchum George