The Voortrekker monument in Pretoria was formally declared a national heritage site on Friday.
“This symbolises a new era... to tell the South African story and tell it in its entirety,” Arts and Culture Minister Paul Mashatile said during the declaration event held at the monument.
The monument is the first Afrikaner one in the country to be declared a national heritage site.
Mashatile said the Voortrekker monument had a deep historical meaning to the Afrikaner community.
Declaring it a national heritage site was an important step towards reconciliation.
Even though South Africa had a painful past, history had to be remembered “to remind all that democracy in South Africa came at a high price and should be guarded with jealousy”, Mashatile said.
The event was attended by Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Mulder, members of the public, and tourists visiting the site.
Mulder said: “ 1/8The declaration 3/8 shows the acknowledging of the total history of South Africa because it's difficult to have only one version of history, so in that sense, we are moving closer to balancing our past and therefore closer to getting real answers for our future.”
Mashatile said there were other sites which were yet to be unveiled including the military veterans' site and the women's heritage site.
Construction of a road to join the monument to Freedom Park was still underway.
Speaking at the event, Tshwane mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa said it was the city's aim to expose young people to as many heritage sites as possible.
He said R2.5 million had been allocated to help pupils visit the Voortrekker Museum as well as Freedom Park and the gallows in the city.
In line with the monument being declared a heritage site, the city was also in talks with different political parties regarding the issue of name changes.
It had been in talks with the Freedom Front Plus and AfriForum as they were representing the Afrikaner community. They were opposed to changing Pretoria city's name to Tshwane.
The Voortrekker monument commemorates part of the history of southern Africa, the experiences of mainly Dutch settlers as they moved away from the Cape and British rule, and their encounters and battles on their journeys. - Sapa