Climate change is a risk to cultural & heritage sites

By Johnathan Paoli

There is a critical intersection between climate change and cultural preservation, according to Deputy President Paul Mashatile.

Speaking at a Heritage Day celebration in Ficksburg in the Free State, he noted that the recent heavy snowfall in the country posed significant risks to South Africa’s cultural and heritage sites, undermining efforts to protect and celebrate the nation’s diverse history.

“Unfortunately, as we were looking forward to this day, some parts of our country which include KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Free State were impacted by severe weather conditions, exacerbated by climate change,” he said on Tuesday.

“In celebrating our heritage, we must be alive to the impact of climate change on not only our wellbeing, but also on our culture. Extreme weather conditions such as those witnessed over the past few days affect some of our cultural and heritage sites, therefore undermining our national goals to protect and