Millions of artefacts secured at refurbished Visagie Street facility
South Africa's vast cultural-historical heritage collection, comprising roughly 2.4 million items, remains safely preserved and meticulously catalogued at the Ditsong National Museum of Cultural History in Visagie Street, Pretoria — even as the original State Museum building in Boom Street continues to deteriorate. Following public concern about the fate of these irreplaceable artefacts, a thorough investigation has confirmed that every object from the old museum has been accounted for and is stored under internationally recognised conservation standards.
The collection's origins stretch back to 1892, when the State Museum was established as a general repository for both natural and cultural objects. Initially housed in a room at the Old Council Hall, it later relocated to Market Square — today known as Lilian Ngoyi Square — before settling into a purpose-built Boom Street structure completed in 1899. The Anglo-Boer War delayed its opening, with British forces using the building as a military hospital until 1902. After the war, it served as a museum encompassing the zoo, cultural history, natural history, and geological collections.
As the holdings expanded, space became a constant challenge. The natural history collection was transferred to the Transvaal Museum on Paul Kruger Street in 1910, but the cultural-historical artefacts continued to outgrow every available venue. Over 45 years, the collections were shuffled between as many as 15 different buildings across Pretoria before finally being consolidated under one roof in 1996 at the old Mint building on Visagie Street — four years after the Boom Street museum had closed to the public.
Tersia Perregil, Ditsong's heritage assets manager, confirmed that the Department of Public Works and Innovation redesigned and modernised the former Mint building to meet museological requirements before the move took place.
"The Department of Public Works and Innovation redesigned and modernized the old Mint building to meet museological standards. The entire museum collection was then moved there."
Mauritz Naudé, a heritage consultant who spent 39 years at the Cultural History Museum before retiring in 2020, recalled the dire conditions that made the relocation unavoidable. He explained that the Boom Street structure was far too cramped for the various collections and that a second burst water pipe removed any remaining doubt about the need to move. The privatisation of the Mint presented an ideal solution, as the building already featured robust security infrastructure and was further upgraded by the state to meet international museum benchmarks.
Old building's future remains uncertain
Among the notable items preserved in the Visagie Street facility are the Louis Botha collection, the famous Egyptian mummy — maintained in accordance with international standards for human remains — and various archaeological and anthropological exhibitions. Annemarie Carelsen, a Ditsong employee who has been with the museum since 1982, noted that the Smuts collection has since moved to the Smutshuis in Irene, while the Hertzog family reclaimed their collection. Russian tributes sent after Paul Kruger's death, including a bratina, are housed at the Krugerhuis museum. The only artefact left behind at Boom Street is a ship anchor positioned in front of the building, which proved too cumbersome to relocate.
The crumbling Boom Street building is no longer under Ditsong's care. Perregil confirmed it is managed as state property by the Department of Public Works. Adrian de Villiers, from the department's heritage advisory board, noted that the zoo holds the option to use the structure — a Wilhelmina-style edifice designed by state architect Sytze Wierda that forms part of a significant cluster of Dutch-influenced buildings from the Kruger era. Heritage specialist Leonie Marais, who serves on Gauteng's provincial heritage council, said the building has stood empty and unmaintained since the museum departed. She noted that alternatives to full restoration exist, including preserving the facade while rebuilding the interior for modern use, or erecting a monument honouring the story of the first State Museum.
"Such alternatives will do more justice to the story of the first State Museum than the dilapidated building does, and they will not cost as much money as restoration."
Karin Scott of the public archaeological organisation HeritageworX urged South Africans to engage constructively with heritage matters rather than reacting emotionally to incomplete information. She stressed that the country's official museums comply with international conservation standards and are audited annually to ensure adherence to legislation.
"Attend the talks, tours and functions that are offered. That way, you stay up-to-date on your heritage and you also help the museums and institutions financially. We can each take responsibility for our heritage and help preserve it by supporting initiatives, rather than just getting angry about every bit of bad news that may be spread out of context."
South Africa's cultural-historical heritage underpins national identity, making the confirmed safety of 2.4 million artefacts reassuring for communities invested in preserving shared history. The secure consolidation at Visagie Street safeguards tourism potential and research access, both vital to local economies reliant on heritage sites. However, the deteriorating Boom Street building poses unresolved questions about repurposing historically significant state properties, and future decisions on its fate could set precedents for how aging heritage infrastructure is managed nationwide.
