14/05/2026
Dear friends,
As many of you may already know, the museum unfortunately suffered significant damage during Monday’s storm. We are deeply saddened and heartbroken by what has happened, especially as we truly felt that the museum had just begun thriving again. At the moment, it feels as though we are back at square one.
Before anything else, we would like to sincerely thank everyone who immediately came to the rescue on Monday evening. Thank you to our curator, our treasurer Johan, and his better half, Sally Anne, head of our Forest School initiative, for jumping in without hesitation. Thank you as well to Mr. Stefan Walters, Tannie Flora our dearly beloved cleaner, who left her other work to come and help, and especially the two strangers who appeared out of nowhere to help us in our time of need. We never got your names, but please know that your kindness meant more than words can say.
We would also like to express our immense gratitude to the Swartland Municipality. From Tuesday morning onward, teams were already on site assisting the curator and helping us begin the enormous cleanup process. Your support has not gone unnoticed, and we appreciate it deeply.
To everyone who has visited, sent messages, checked in on us, and asked how they can help - thank you. Seeing how much people care about the museum has been incredibly moving during such a difficult time.
Unfortunately, the museum will be closed until further notice while we work to recover from the damage. At this stage, we honestly do not know how long the process will take, but we remain hopeful that we will soon be able to reopen our doors and continue doing what we love most.
Several people have asked how they can help. At this time, the greatest need is financial assistance to help cover cleaning costs, equipment hire, cleaning supplies, and restoration efforts. We are in need of items such as pressure cleaners, leaf blowers, vacuum cleaners, mops, brooms, and other cleaning materials, as well as funds to help us get back on our feet.
The saddest part is that some of the museums historical artifacts were also damaged, and certain pieces may never be fully restored. These are irreplacable pieces of history, and that loss truly breaks our hearts.
For anyone who would like to contribute, donations can kindly be made to the following bank account:
ABSA
Malmesbury Museum
1009012555
Cheque
Thank you again for your kindness, support, and understanding during this very difficult time.
With gratitude,
Malmesbury Museum
