'Forgotten' museum plundered by thieves

[caption id="attachment_38818" align="alignright" width="250"] OPEN INVITATION: A broken gate gives access to the roof of the Red Location Museum. Picture: JUDY DE VEGA[/caption]

ALTHOUGH the doors have been locked for months, the showpiece Red Location Museum in Port Elizabeth has had a trail of unwelcome visitors in recent weeks – burglars and vandals.

They have been picking at the bones of the award-winning building that has not hosted events or seen tourists for about eight months.

At the same time, residents still refuse to let the museum operate normally due to housing issues, and security guards fear for their safety on patrol at night.

And one guard said conditions were getting worse. "There are no lights around the building, the fencing [which has been cut in several places] can't keep anyone out and the drains outside don't have covers.

"We walk around in the dark, not knowing when someone might jump out and attack one of us. And what happens if we fall into a drain and injure ourselves?" the museum guard said. - Riaan Marais and Lwazi Ndima