President Zuma warns against defacing statues

12 Apr, 2015 - 00:04 0 Views
President Zuma warns against defacing statues

The Sunday Mail

botha statueSouth Africa’s President Jacob Zuma has spoken out for the first time about the defacing of apartheid-era statues, saying this was illegal, adding that the statues should be preserved and new struggle monuments should be built.

Speaking at the unveiling of the Chris Hani Memorial on Friday, he said: “We are aware of the sentiments in the country relating to the removal of statues of racists and colonialists. We do understand the frustration of our people who may feel the programme of building a new heritage architecture is moving slowly.”

But Zuma added that it was important that “everything must be done in an orderly fashion and according to the laws of the land.

“We remind our people that the destruction of statues is illegal. The National Heritage Resources Act of 1999 outlines the consultative processes that should be followed in the case of a removal and/or relocation of a statue”.

Zuma said the destruction of statues “flies in the face of the preservation of the history of our country, including the repulsive apartheid colonial history”.

He said that a discussion was needed about where these “apartheid and colonial artefacts” should be preserved.

Zuma said a “new heritage landscape for our new democratic society, based on our history of fighting for freedom, justice and equality” was being brought into being.

“Our programme includes identifying historic sites, individuals and organisations that have made outstanding contributions to our liberation struggle and history and to the development of our cultural values.” These sites were being upgraded and declared National Heritage sites to be maintained by the State.

Among the sites identified for monuments or preservation were:

• The Wesleyan Church hall in Waaihoek, Mangaung, which was the founding venue of the then South African Native National Congress, now the ANC, located in the Mangaung;

• The home and grave of Dr J. L. Dube, the first president of the ANC;

• The home of Thomas Mapikela in the Free State who was a member of the 1912 executive committee of the then SA Native National Congress, now the ANC. Most meetings were held at the Mapikela home leading up to and after the formation of the ANC;

• The home of Lillian Ngoyi, who was the first woman leader to become a member of the National Executive Committee of the ANC and the leader of the ANC Women’s League;

• The home of president Oliver Tambo in Nkantolo, Mbizana, in the Eastern Cape is being upgraded and will be a heritage site;

• The home of former president Nelson Mandela in Houghton;

• The site of the Pondo Revolt on the Ingquza Hill and the Holy Cross Church will be declared a heritage sites; and

• The sites in which many heroes fought in the frontier wars; this includes the 1913 revolt by African women in the Free State and the 1957 anti-pass revolt by women in Zeerust will also be declared heritage sites;

These are before the peasant revolts of the 1960s and they also signify the important role played by women in the struggle for national liberation:

• The Rocklands Civic Centre in Mitchells Plein, Cape Town, where the United Democratic Front (UDF) was formed in 1983;

• The Gugulethu Seven monument in Cape Town; and

• The former homes of Mama Winnie Madikizela-Mandela in Brandfort and that of Dr J. S. Moroka in Thaba Nchu in the Free State, and the home of Cde Braam Fischer. — RDM News Wire.

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