Paul Kruger next to go?
2015-03-30 20:55
Seugnet van Zyl, Netwerk24
Pretoria – Tshwane's executive mayor has put his support behind the ANC Youth League’s call for the removal of the statue of former president Paul Kruger from Church Square, Pretoria.
According to Netwerk24, Mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa’s spokesperson Blessing Manale said on Monday he "embraced" the ANCYL’s call for Kruger’s statue, along with several other statues in Pretoria, to be relocated.
Ramokgopa describes the league's proposal as sensible and reasonable.
He said it was in line with "our culture of continuous engagement" and definition of "South Africa's post-apartheid capital".
The mayor said that the city had not initiated the plan to remove the “Oom Paul” statue.
"We believe that the current national debate offers an ideal opportunity to the much-needed discussion on the city's identity.”
The ANCYL insists that Kruger's statue and his "two bodyguards with guns ready to shoot to kill" the first "three founders of our democracy" should be replaced.
"We want a 15m high statue of our first three presidents, namely Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma."
- Netwerk24
Following ongoing calls to get rid of the Cecil John Rhodes statue from the University of Cape Town, the Paul Kruger statue which stands in the middle of Church Square in Tshwane is also in the firing line for removal.
Kruger, who served as president of the South African Republic (Old Transvaal) from 1883 to 1900, was immortalised in bronze in 1896 and his statue was placed in the center of Church Square surrounding by Boer soldiers in 1954 with the unveiling by then prime minister Dr DF Malan.
Tshwane’s mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa has added his voice of support behind the possibility of removing the Kruger statue following calls from the ANC Youth League. The call from the youth league has taken form of a petition to remove the statue of Paul Kruger known as “Oom Paul”.
Ramokgopa said it was “an opportunity not be missed and a positive contribution the debate about the identity of a post-apartheid Capital City”.
“The City has not initiated at its own accord, a plan on the relocation of the statue of Oom Paul Kruger at the Church square, and equally has not initiated any project to create or construct statues of the former heads of state of democratic South Africa,” said Ramokgopa on Monday.
“We believe however that current national discourse and debates provides us an ideal opportunity not to postpone the much needed debate on the identity of the city and reflected through its artistic and general historical architecture.”
Ramokgopa has now mandated the MMC for Sports Recreation, Arts and culture to develop a five point plan which includes; engaging the Minister of Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa on his general view, counsel and approach to the issues relating to these structures, convening a series of public dialogues in the city relating to future of statues, buildings and monuments with the aim of determining the public opinion and sentiment on their relocation, removal, renaming and restoration where required.
The City of Tshwane believes the proposal for removal to be reasonably consistent with the culture of continuous engagement and reflection on our definition of South Africa’s post-apartheid capital city. They equated the current call to when the figure of former prime minister James Barry Hertzog who once stood in front of the Union Buildings was relocated to another spot to make way for the Nelson Mandela statue.
Meanwhile, the Rhodes statue has been boarded up following a vote by the university’s senate in favour of removing it.
http://citizen.co.za/354340/ancyl-calls ... er-statue/
Will Oom Paul go?
March 30 2015 at 11:33am
By Kennedy Mudzuli Comment on this story
Copy of PN Paul Kruger 4593 PRETORIA NEWS A visitor to Church Square takes a selfie with a statue of Paul Kruger in the background. The ANCYL has initiated a campaign to remove the statue and other apartheid leaders from public places in Pretoria. Picture: Thobile Mathonsi
Pretoria - Is Oom Paul assured of his place on Church Square? Last week Tshwane mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa said “yes”, but over the weekend he was seemingly singing a different tune.
Speaking in Soshanguve after the ANC Youth League announced the launch of a campaign on Monday for the removal of Oom Paul, Ramokgopa said the statues should not be destroyed.
“These statues should not decorate public spaces. Those who want to see (them) will go to the museums, pay an entry fee and admire them there.”
But last week, in response to a question posed by the Pretoria News about the future of the city’s statues including the Kruger statue, the mayor, through his spokesman Blessing Manale, said the metropole was holding on to its heritage as the mayor did not want to preside over a divided and polarised city.
During a weekend event in Soshanguve ANC regional youth leader Lesego Makhubela announced a campaign – starting on Monday – for the removal of the Kruger statue.
Makhubela said the statues of Paul Kruger and the four burghers at the historic Church Square must and will be removed from the heart of the nation’s capital city.
In their place must be statues of former President Nelson Mandela, towering over ANC stalwarts Walter Sisulu and Oliver Tambo.
The name of Tshwane’s first executive mayor Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa has also been bandied about by the ANC Youth League Greater Tshwane region.
The youth movement is spearheading a campaign to remove the statue of the president of South African Republic or Transvaal during the 1883-1900 era.
Makhubela said petitions would be made available in all regions of the metropole.
“Thereafter, we will stage a big march to the office of executive mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa to deliver the petitions and memorandum calling for the removal of the statue. Paul Kruger must go.”
The petition would subsequently be tabled to the council for approval and implementation of the recommendation to remove the statue, he said.
“The statues of the soldiers holding guns alongside Kruger must also be removed. Who do they want to shoot with those guns?” Makhubela said.
Stopping short of endorsing the call for the removal of the statues, the city’s first citizen said the statues should be viewed in the context of where the capital wanted to be in the future.
Ramokgopa said the conversation surrounding the future of the statues should be held with consideration that the apartheid leaders were part of South Africa’s history.
However, he pointed out the statues did not represent the future.
“The opposition thought we were mad when Mkhatshwa and comrade Gwen Ramokgopa, as executive mayors, stated we change the municipality’s name. Today we have Tshwane, not the City of Pretoria.
“When we wanted to change the street names, they ran to the courts and we defeated them, and today the streets have been renamed,” said Ramokgopa. “When you are in power, the biggest mistake you can make is to be apologetic, because power is temporary. You must exercise the power to the fullest.”
Makhubela was speaking during the unveiling of tombstones for 11 fallen heroes and heroines of Soshanguve at Giant Stadium.
He started off by saluting all former ANC presidents, including incumbent Jacob Zuma, but eyebrows were raised when he controversially rounded off by saying “viva president Ramaphosa viva”.
The campaign comes hot on the heels of the University of Cape Town debacle where students successfully demanded the removal of the statue of British colonialist, mining magnate and Rhodesia founder Cecil John Rhodes from the campus. The statue will be handed to government authorities for safe custody.
HISTORY REVISITED
Paul Kruger’s bronze statue was commissioned by wealthy industrialist Sammy Marks and sculpted by Anton van Wouw in 1896.
The statue was installed at Church Square after it had been at Prince’s Park and the Pretoria Station. It was unveiled by Prime Minister Dr DF Malan on October 11, 1954.
The square was initially used as a market place and sports field, and the first church was built in 1855.
Church Square attracts tourists from all over the world.
It is surrounded by historical buildings that boast beautiful architecture, with the Oom Paul statue as a central feature.
Pretoria News
http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/ ... RpcIuEavXA
Now the thing is, if the Youth League of the governing party, and the governing party mayor of one of our biggest cities find Kruger to be offensive, should Kruger National Park's name not be changed, and the statue there removed, by the same logic?
