As part of the Sunday Times 2006 centenary celebrations, the newspaper embarked on a heritage project, planning a series of public site-specific memorials to commemorate key figures and events of South Africa’s last 100 years. AAW Art Project Management were contracted to manage the selection of South African artists and oversee the creation and installation of the memorials around the country.

The Sunday Times partnered with the SA History Archive (SAHA) in uncovering artefacts relevant to the featured personalities and events. A selection of the audio-visual material collected by the SAHA research team is available on the STHP website (http://heritage.thetimes.co.za), as well as 360° views of the built memorials and artist profiles.

Early in 2007 the Sunday Times, SAHA and the Wits History Workshop embarked on an oral history and memorial project with eight schools located in four South African towns. During the six month project learners were introduced to heritage studies and assisted in conducting a series of interviews with members of their communities. From the stories they unearthed three were selected and translated into public memorials. Another outcome of this project was the publication of an oral history guide for teachers.

The heritage project further extended to the production and broadcast of a series of radio documentaries inspired by the street memorial series, the production of an interactive DVD based on what used to be John Vorster Square as well as the publication of a book, Great Lives: Pivotal Moments.