Constitution Hill Human Rights Precinct
1. Gauteng and culture
The Gauteng City-Region is an integrated cluster of cities, towns and urban nodes that together make up the economic heartland of South Africa. The core of the city-region is Gauteng, South Africa’s smallest but most densely populated province. Despite its importance, it faces many challenges, including high levels of poverty, unemployment and social exclusion. South Africa is one of the most unequal societies in the world, there remain spatial concentrations of huge wealth alongside large informal settlements. And although there is gradual integration the concentration of different population groups in specific areas previously designated for them by apartheid remains to this day.
The Gauteng Regional Government is committed to being responsive and to engage with our citizenry to deepen social cohesion. Also, the Gauteng Provincial Government identified Cultural and Creative Industries as one of the 10-high growth sectors in Gauteng, with the objective of supporting the industries and positioning the province as Africa’s Creative and Cultural hub.
The Guteng regional government is committed to being responsible and to engage with our citizenry to deepen social cohesion.
2. Project goals and implementation
2.1. Main goal and specific objectives
The main aim of the project is to be a site of memory, a physical place that acts as container of memory. In this regard, Constitution Hill is a founder member of the International Site of Conscience. These are safe spaces of memory – such as a historic site, place-based museum or memorial – that prevents erasure from happening in order to foster more just and humane societies today.
We The People’s Park and the Creative Industries Hubs will be accessible to the public and is a space for contemplation, reflection, memorialisation. The park will be situated in the heart of Constitution Hill, which serves as one of South Africa’s cornerstones of democracy. The project is part of a major inner-city regeneration drive, which will contribute to the economic, social and cultural upliftment of people living and working in the inner city. Another of the objectives of the project is the provision of facilities of a standard existing in other major world-class cities.
2.2. Development of the project
Constitution Hill is conceptualised as a major national and international tourism and heritage site, and as the seat of Constitutional Democracy within South Africa. It has historical links to several iconic moments that the country keeps in its memory of oppressive events that served as a basis for our current Human Rights policies and legislation, including the unlawful imprisonment of icons such as Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Ghandi and several freedom fighters during the South Africa fight against Apartheid.
We The People’s Park is an extension of the Constitutional Hill precinct and is conceptualized as a new international destination that is also incorporating the economic value of the Creatives Industry. The overall objective of the proposed park is to create a public park that keeps with the ethos of the Republic of South Africa’s Human Rights and world acclaimed Constitution and to provide hubs where artists may collaborate to include the culture and methos of the people of South Africa and specifically, the Gauteng region.
The park is accessible to the public, and is used for gatherings and public events that reflect on South Africa’s Constitution, the Bill of Rights and Human Rights commemorative days in South Africa’s annual calendar. The site is located in the Gauteng Region. The park lies south of South Africa’s Constitutional Court, the Constitutional Court library and the infamous No.4 Prison with a pathway marking the Great Africa Steps.
The park will provide a space for contemplation which will help the architecture reach more spiritual realms by allowing the occupants to have a space where they can think, pray, meditate, memorialise past history, memory or simply just be in the present moment. In addition, the precinct also accommodates a Creative Industries hub that supports the development of creative industry skills. The precinct has space for affordable hubs for various art forms including music; art; design; dance, theatre and poetry. This is to promote creative entrepreneurs and the small business sector. The approach has a direct influence on the We The People’s Park as it seeks to attract ordinary people to the precinct and inspire creative engagements in various sectors. Given the historic spatial arrangement of the Gauteng City Region accessible working spaces are few due to the old Apartheid style township planning in the region. The agglomeration of creative spaces for citizen interaction is thus the key approach for new social and economic upliftment development of citizens in the Gauteng City Region.
The main aim is to be a site of memory, accessible to the public and a space for contemplation, reflection, memorialisation.
3. Impacts
3.1. Direct impacts
Constitution Hill creates powerful participatory programs that bring people together across differences, advocate for every community’s right to preserve this place where struggles for human rights have occurred, talk openly about what happened, and harness the strengths of memory, arts, and culture to build more equitable, just, and peaceful communities today and sustain them well into the future.
It will be supported by the various creative industry hubs and the project aims to grow an innovative and sustainable Creative Industry that sets out key interventions in an inclusive manner, so that it effectively contributes to the creation of decent work in the South African economy. The creation of decent work is the most powerful way to reduce inequality and poverty.
Improved intergovernmental co-operation, and greater collaboration between government, business and civil society will be realised so that the cities and towns stretching across and beyond the boundaries of the Gauteng Region can be made to work better as a more integrated, productive and sustainable whole, is at the heart of the idea of a Gauteng City-Region.
3.2. Evaluation
Constitution Hill would utilize the SAFEIC calculator to assess the impact of We the People Park aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Methodology involves multi-dimensional evaluation instruments:
- Social Impact: Conduct surveys and community consultations to measure inclusivity, safety perception, and cultural enrichment. KPIs include diversity of visitors, community engagement levels, and improvement in social cohesion (SDG 10, SDG 11).
- Financial Analysis: Analyze investments, operational costs, and revenue generation to ensure economic sustainability. KPIs comprise ROI, job creation, and local economic growth (SDG 8, SDG 9).
- Environmental Assessment: Evaluate eco-friendly practices, biodiversity preservation, and resource efficiency. KPIs include carbon footprint reduction, water and energy efficiency, and mitigation of environmental impact (SDG 13, SDG 15).
- Impact on Community Well-being: Assess health benefits, sense of belonging, and educational opportunities. KPIs involve improvements in physical and mental well-being, crime reduction, and educational access (SDG 3, SDG 4).
By employing this methodology and aligning with SDGs, Constitution Hill will ensure a holistic assessment of the park’s impact, fostering sustainability, equity, and community development.
3.3. Key factors
Constitution Hill has been identified as a creative Industries aggregator for the province – a hub supporting creative entrepreneurs, women, youth, and other creative hubs of Gauteng.
The Creative Uprising is Constitution Hill’s ongoing program designed to develop, support and elevate creative talent within a variety of art forms including music, film, art, design, dance, theatre and poetry. The programme sets about establishing a home for creatives on the Hill. The target market is the creative entrepreneurial and small business sector, both formal and informal, and recognition of the unique talents therein. Thus, this programme will have a direct influence on the We The People’s Park, as it is intended to attract more people to the space and inspire creativity in them given that there is a need for affordable and accessible working spaces (creative hubs) for creatives and enterprises, particularly in townships and under resourced communities.
3.4. Continuity
Phase 1 of the project was completed in 2017, which primarily comprised civils and earthworks. Phase 2 is underway and will see the completion of the park.
Local government will give continuity to the project by improving and expanding the job market which will be a huge achievement as South Africa is currently facing an unemployment crisis, making it a country with one of the highest unemployment rates experienced. With more jobs created there will be a growing contribution from South Africa to the global GDP and an increase in international trade as the country will be well positioned in an improved digital economy. This will take effect across 11 municipalities in the Gauteng City Region.
The precinct also accomodates a creative industries hub that supports the development of creative industry skills.
4. Further information
Gauteng was a candidate for the sixth “UCLG Mexico City – Culture 21 International Award” (November 2023 – March 2024). The jury for the award drew up its final report in June 2024, and requested that the Committee on Culture promote this project as one of the good practices to be implemented through Agenda 21 for culture.
This article was written by Marie-Louise Moodie, Deputy Director General: Executive Support and Stakeholder Management, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.
Contact: Marie-louise.Moodie (at) gauteng.gov.za
Website: www.gauteng.gov.za
