Safeguarding Intangible Heritage in South Africa: a Critique of the Draft National Policy on Living Heritage

South Africa published the first Draft National Policy on South African Living Heritage (hereafter Draft Policy) in 2009, sixteen years after the first democratic elections in 1994. A national policy framework on safeguarding living heritage in South Africa is long overdue, as the previous heritage legislation from the Colonial and Apartheid eras focused mainly on the conservation and management of tangible forms of heritage. Living heritage was largely marginalised and thus could not receive any formal protection from government (as it is not part of the National Estate ). The tentative promulgation of the National Policy on Living Heritage is a commendable and progressive step towards the protection of intangible forms of heritage. The Draft Policy has been in circulation for input and comment from a wide range of stakeholders. This paper seeks to provide a rigorous critique and commentary and to make specific recommendations on the Draft Policy.