Grahamstown to have statue
Landmark hopes to honour lives of local Xhosa heroes
GRAHAMSTOWN’S reputation as the City of Saints could become a thing of the past thanks to an ambitious plan to build a massive statue on a township hillside.
The African influenced statue, the design of which would be inspired by Brazil’s iconic Christ the Redeemer, would be made from Kaolin mined in the area and would be the centre-piece of a heritage route project to honour local Xhosa heroes and other marginalised people who lived in the area.
The idea to build a 35mplus statue on Zion Hill overlooking the city is the brainchild of Sizwe Mda – the great-great-grandson of the last king of the Ndebele in Zimbabwe, King Lobengula – as a way of healing the wounds of the past and pulling in tourists.
Mda said the final design was yet to be decided on.
According to Mda, Grahamstown was a melting pot of marginalised cultures under British colonial rule that included Xhosa, Mfengu, and a handful of Chinese, Indian even Ndebele.
Mda’s grandfather, Rhodes Lobengula, was exiled from Bulawayo to Grahamstown by the British at the turn of the 20th century when the Ndebele tried to install him as King.
His family have lived here ever since after the Ndebele monarchy was replaced by a colonial Induna system and feel showcasing the melting pot of cultures by establishing a heritage route in Fingo Village will add tourism value to the area.
This week, the city council recommended the proposal be sent to the Sarah Baartman district municipality for potential funding.
Renowned conservationist, hotelier and game park owner, Adrian Gardiner, who is originally from Bulawayo and still has interests in Zimbabwe, yesterday said he was helping Mda to realise his dreams.
“Sizwe got hold of me and told me about the Lobengula graves in Grahamstown and I went to have a look.”
Since then, Gardiner, who heads the Mantis Collection, has used his extensive tourism experience to encourage and raise funds to help realise Mda’s dream of including the Lobengula homestead in the heritage route.
Although some scoff at the eventual plan to build a huge statue on the mountain, Gardiner says it is achievable.
“I have been there before... when I started Shamwari people just laughed.”
Since then Shamwari game reserve has achieved worldwide acclaim and Gardiner has built up a network of respected tourism enterprises throughout the Eastern Cape and beyond. — davidm@dispatch.co.za