Oliver Tambo gets 9-metre bronze statue at airport

A statue of late South African struggle hero Oliver Reginald Tambo will be erected at, quite fittingly, the OR Tambo International Airport.

This was announced by Ekurhuleni mayor Mzwandile Masina during the delivery of his first State of the City address last Wednesday.

The nine-metre bronze statue will be constructed and installed in October this year at the airport in recognition of the struggle icon, as this year marks the 100th year since his birth.

This will be a part of year-long celebrations the metro will be having to commemorate the century since his birth.

“In his life he was a choir master, a poet, a songwriter, a maths and science genius, a teacher and a lawyer. During this year, we will celebrate the life and times of president Oliver Tambo through theatre productions, arts, writing and music competitions.

“Over the next five years, we will sustain these programmes and theatre productions; deliver arts and production workshops to emphasise tolerance, social cohesion and collective citizenship in community development,” Masina announced during his address at the Germiston City Council.

The metro will be rolling out a number of programmes and events to celebrate the centenary of Tambo’s birth, all of which are based on the attributes of Tambo.

“It remains our mission as a city to preserve his legacy so that more of our people can have a clear record of our history.”

The Memorial Lecture is one of the main oral history events organised in consultation and in conjunction with the Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Foundation.

The Ekurhuleni metro will also develop an OR Tambo Narrative Centre precinct, which will include an OR Tambo library/ Knowledge Centre. – Caxton News Service