South Africa also know as the ‘Rainbow Nation’ is known for its diverse cultures and religions which impart it with a sense of identity. Cultural diversity forms the core of this nation which is also reflected in its built heritage.

Having ratified the ‘World Heritage Convention’ in 1997, the country has five cultural, four natural and one mixed site inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List. All of these sites are considered to have an ‘outstanding universal value’. With a colonial history, the country is also home to a number of indigenous communities which practice old traditional methods of building and are strongly connected with cultural practices. However, it has been noted that the vernacular architecture of the nation requires much more appreciation and attention in both the national and the international domains where the question of community participation, capacity-building and culture-nature linkages are still being explored.

South Africa has the potential to serve as an example for tangible and intangible elements of heritage coming together through community participation and vernacular techniques of building. The ‘Rainbow Nation’ is thus not only diverse in its cultures and religions but also in its cultural and built heritage.