Download PDFIn a climate of mounting evictions, austerity, and fragmented resistance, the Defend Public Spaces Campaign (DPSC) celebrated Heritage Day on 13 September 2025, at the Workers Museum (WM) in Newtown. Originally planned to hand over the DPSC Petition, both the DACH and the Mayor’s office were unavailable, the latter stating that officials only work from Monday to Friday. The DPSC decided to use the opportunity to discuss ‘working class heritage’ as it is at the heart of the campaign.
One of the aims of the DPSC is to promote public spaces and working class heritage beyond the WMC, in every community and city, for present and future generations, in the interests of the working class. Cde Maria gave an input on working class heritage and explained, “If we want social justice, we need to know our history and our heritage, and where we come from. Understanding heritage also explains the sources of inequalities in society.” This is an ongoing discussion for communities.
The programme ended with theatre performances, and a clear message, “We are still here, and so is our history.” The 13 September meeting was a missed opportunity for the City and the Mayor’s office to connect and witness firsthand the significance of the Cottages for working class heritage.
The campaign isn’t just about preserving a building, but about who decides who gets remembered and who gets erased. The campaign’s strength lies in deepening communities’ understanding of heritage and building solidarity.
This article was submitted on 13 September 2025. You may republish this article, so long as you credit the authors and Karibu! Online (www.Karibu.org.za), and do not change the text. Please include a link back to the original article.
