Instead of treating the Johannesburg Art Gallery as a white elephant, we should think of it from the perspective of sustainability, investment and of generating revenue for future growth.

Listen to this article 7 min Listen to this article 7 min The Johannesburg Art Gallery is periodically in the news and for all the wrong reasons.

In the first of two excellent recent articles on the gallery, Ferial Haffajee notes that while heritage experts have underlined the urgency of repairs to the gallery, Johannesburg's mayor says the budget will only be allocated next year.

On the one hand the experts are emphasising the value of the asset and the damage entailed. On the other hand, the bureaucrats are noting that the City, according to Mayor Dada Morero, has a deficit of about R50-billion per annum and a worsening state of finances under its current City management.

As the old economist joke goes, on the one hand, on the other hand and on the third hand. The third hand is the perspective of institutional sustainability and a return on investment.

While sustainability in the museum space is acknowledged to be difficult, it has worked in similar heritage contexts. Yes, to make money you have to invest money. But we would argue that instead of treating the Johannesburg Art Gallery as a white elephant, we should think of it from...