Some public facilities, such as museums and libraries, offer very limited opening hours. It makes no sense to open only when everyone is at school or work.
On a public holiday in March, I was surprised to find myself turned away from the Outeniqua Transport Museum in George on the grounds that it was closed. ‘Come back tomorrow’, said the guard at the gate.
‘Tomorrow we’ll be at work, and our boy will be at school,’ I said, though the guard obviously had no power to correct the absurdity of a museum that is closed at time when it is convenient for people to visit.
We left and went to get ice cream at a nearby beach, which, while perfectly pleasant, was not very edifying.
The Transport Museum is open from 8:00 to 16:30 every weekday, and from 8:00 to 14:00 on Saturdays. On Sundays and public holidays, it is closed. That means that people with jobs and school-going children can only ever go on Saturday mornings, just when a host of other errands and chores typically need doing.
The museum is operated by the state-owned Transnet, which may explain why its website domain name is for sale. There is no mention of the museum in the company’s annual reports, so it is impossible to tell whether it is profitable with such limited opening hours.
In response to my complaint on social media, someone argued that the museum staff also deserved to take holidays. Why does that not go for waiters, bartenders or restaurant cooks?
I would imagine it would be far more profitable to pay museum staff double time to be open on weekends and public holidays than it would be to pay them normal time and open the museum only when nobody can come. Give them time off on quiet days. Take a leaf out of the hospitality trade’s book, and close on Mondays or Tuesdays.
Libraries and museums
I looked up a local municipal library’s opening hours: weekdays from 9:00 to 17:30, except Wednesdays when it inexplicably opens at 10:00, and 9:00 to 13:00 on Saturdays. Again, it is closed on Sundays and public holidays, which means for working parents the visiting options are very limited indeed.
I looked up some other museums. The Bartolomeu Dias Museum in Mossel Bay, operated by the Western Cape Provincial Government, is likewise closed on Sundays and public holidays, and on Saturdays is only open between 9:00 and 12:00.
The District Six Museum is begging for donations to keep its doors open, but those doors don’t open on Sundays or public holidays. It is operated by a private foundation.
The popular Museum of Military History in Johannesburg is open only on weekdays from 8:30 to 15:00. It evidently doesn’t want schoolchildren or working adults as customers. It is part of the Ditsong Museums group, which falls under the Department of Arts and Culture.
Other museums in the Ditsong stable, like the National Museum of Cultural History, the Kruger Museum, and the Sammy Marks Museum also open only on weekdays and close early at 15:00.
Not all museums are this stupid.
The Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg is privately owned. It is open seven days a week, from 9:00 to 17:00 daily. That’s how a museum is supposed to operate.
The Hector Pieterson Museum in Soweto is also open seven days a week, including public holidays. I couldn’t find clear confirmation of its ownership.
The venerable National Museum of Natural History is the only Ditsong facility that is open seven days a week, except on Christmas and Good Friday.
The South African Navy Museum in Simon’s Town closes a little early in the afternoons, but at least it’s open seven days a week.
The Anglo-Boer War Museum (I thought we were supposed to call it the South African War?) in Bloemfontein is run by the national Department of Arts and Culture. It is open seven days a week. Clearly, its governing council consists of sensible people. The same goes for the National Museum in Bloemfontein, which operates under similar governance arrangements.
The Big Hole in Kimberley is open seven days a week, except Christmas Day. It is privately owned by the De Beers.
The Constitution Hill Human Rights Precinct, operated by a private trust, is open seven days a week, and offers free entrance on several national public holidays.
The Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in Cape Town, owned by a non-profit organisation, is notable because it only opens from Thursday to Sunday. This actually makes a lot of sense, since it limits staffing costs while keeping the facility open to visitors on weekends. It is also unusual in that it stays open until 18:00, potentially catering to after-work visits.
Alternative opening hours
Although I only surveyed a small sample of the larger and more popular museums, too many appear to close on Sundays and public holidays, or even on Saturdays too. I’d imagine it’s even worse with smaller museums.
If I were to run a museum, whether public or private, I would keep it closed on weekday mornings, except for arranged school tours. I’d open in the afternoons and remain open until well into the evening. I’d be open all weekend as well as on public holidays.
After all, my mission would be to reach adults and children at times when they are free to indulge in museum visits. This would maximise visitor numbers, which in turn maximises financial viability.
Anyone who thinks libraries should be open primarily during school hours, or museums should only open on weekdays, has no business running either. If we want to improve education and cultural heritage in this country, let’s get all museums and libraries opened when people actually have the time to visit them.
[Image: Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in Cape Town, by soomness]
The views of the writer are not necessarily the views of the Daily Friend or the IRR
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