Statue goes to museum

MOVING HISTORY: UNIVERSITY OPENS SPACE TO ‘REINTERPRET THE SITE’

Much planning has gone into MT Steyn’s removal from the Free State campus.

The University of the Free State started dismantling the MT Steyn statue, situated in front of the Main Building on its Bloemfontein campus last weekend.

Steyn was the sixth and last president of the independent Orange Free State Boer republic, from 1896 to 1902.

According to a statement by the university, this comes after the permit committee of the Free State Provincial Heritage Resources Authority issued a permit on 11 June for the university to dismantle, store and relocate the statue to the War Museum in Bloemfontein.

As stipulated in the permit, the university subsequently submitted a conservation management plan to the committee for consideration, which was approved on 17 June.

“We are in the process of finalising an agreement with the War Museum for the relocation of the statue,” said professor Francis Petersen, rector and vice-chancellor of the university.

“The agreement protects the university and the museum and it is not a contract or a condition for the relocation of the statue as this forms part of the provisions in the permit.

“The agreement should be concluded in the coming week and the statue can then be relocated to the museum.”

The provisions in the permit stipulated the university must prepare a conservation management plan that will address the process to be undertaken to relocate the statue, indicating the team to be appointed for the dismantling, temporary storage and reassembling of the statue at the War Museum, as well as the heritage architect appointed to oversee the process and that the wishes of the Steyn family should be accommodated.

“The university’s special task team excelled in putting together a comprehensive conservation management plan and I would like to acknowledge them for the remarkable way in which they facilitated the entire process up until now,” said Petersen.

The permit committee had thanked the university for its diligence in pursuing the matter in line with best heritage practices.

“There is no precedent for such a process under current South African legislation and I am pleased for the way in which it has been concluded,” Petersen said.

“We will now proceed to reinterpret the site in front of the Main Building into a symbolic, inclusive public space that advances nation building and social cohesion.” Steyn was born on 2 October, 1857 in Winburg, outside Bloemfontein, and died on 28 November, 1916, at the age of 58 in Bloemfontein.

He was a lawyer, politician and statesman.

Apart from the statue at the university, he was remembered for his ideals and contributions, together with family friend Emily Hobhouse, through the unveiling of the National Women’s Memorial on 16 December, 1913.

The memorial was the first monument in the world that was dedicated to women and children.