King Shaka to rise again, more manly this time
SIX years, R6.7-million and a royal stamp of approval later, a larger-than-life statue of Zulu monarch Shaka kaSenzangakhona will finally see the light of day.
The 5m bronze sculpture will be erected at Durban’s King Shaka International Airport on September 17, royal household spokesman Prince Thulani Zulu said this week.
Zulu declined to give details of the statue, but said it was modelled on the only recognised portrait of Shaka in existence — an 1880s drawing that shows him standing proudly upright, with a spear in his right hand and a massive shield in his left.
The statue has yet to be fully assembled, but is nearing completion. This week, Sunday Times saw parts of it, including the legs, at the Goodwin Foundry in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. The arms will be about 1.7m.
The statue — by South African artist Peter Hall — is said to cost R3.5-million.
This is the second statue of the monarch to be installed at the airport. The first, which cost R3.2-million and was crafted by Andries Botha, was pulled down in June 2010 — just three weeks after it had been unveiled — after complaints that it made Shaka look more like a herd boy than a fierce warrior.
At the official unveiling, King Goodwill Zwelithini grimaced at the Botha statue.
Hall, who was hired to sculpt the second statue, and foundry owner Kim Goodwin were working on the pieces this week.
Both declined to discuss the project, which they said was under the auspices of the office of KwaZulu-Natal premier Willies Mchunu.
Vusi Shongwe, who is managing the project, also said he was not authorised to comment until the statue was installed.
Botha said his rejected artwork — which cost taxpayers more than R11 000 to pull down — was last seen in a basement at the Dube Trade Port complex.
Botha has vowed to protect the artistic integrity of his statue, which included several cattle.
He maintains that although he was paid for the work, it may not be interfered with. At the moment the cattle part of the work are still on display at the airport.
Zulu said King Zwelithini was happy with the new version. “He was part of it. He went there [to the artist], he saw how it was started, saw models and so on.
“We are happy with it. It’s about to be finished and it’s going to be [unveiled] on September 17,” he said.
Zulu said that in the first statue, Shaka appeared to have been modelled on actor Henry Cele, who was famed for his portrayal of the monarch in the TV series Shaka Zulu.