Search for Dundee museum thieves continues
Archaeologist Vanessa Maitland says the country's history and heritage must be safeguarded at all costs.
This comes after the theft of valuables from the Talana Museum in Dundee in northern KwaZulu-Natal last week.
Numerous medals, trade tokens, military buttons and badges as well as money notes from all over the world were among some of the items stolen.
One medal, belonging to soldier in the 1879 Anglo-Boer war and founder of Dundee, Dugald McPhail is said to be valued at around R4-million.
Maitland says stealing historical artefacts is much like stealing history.
"All artefacts and all our material culture is important because it tells a story. It tells our collective story and without our stories we are nothing.
"People are stealing it for profit for one person as opposed to leaving it in the museum for everybody and once it's stolen it's gone. It goes into private collections and because it's stolen there will be no access to it," she said.
No arrests have been made. Police are appealing to anyone who might be able to help with their investigation to contact them.
(Photo: www.talana.co.za)