Iconic Walter Sisulu Square vandalised
IN 2005 former president Thabo Mbeki lit a flame of freedom in Kliptown, Soweto to mark the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Freedom Charter.
The place, where thousands of South Africans of all colours, race, creed and gender gathered in 1955 to map out the future they envisaged for the country under the banner of the Congress of the People, had been declared Freedom Square.
With the new political dispensation, the area was renamed Walter Sisulu Square.
The square, in the heart of Kliptown, is South Africa’s first township entertainment centre, attracting both national and international attention with its broad variety of outlets suitable for local traders, event co-ordinators and international tourists.
The square embraces a unique historical background, reflecting South African culture at its best, mingled with modern urbanisation, and offers what South Africa is best known for: its diverse cultures and way of life – totally fascinating to those from abroad.
The square's features include an open-air museum that explains how the Freedom Charter was written as a collaborative effort by thousands of South Africans of all races.
The conical brick tower at the centre of the square is a monument to the document itself and contains the full principles of the Freedom Charter engraved in bronze.
The square is simply a combination of historical rejuvenation, futuristic conceptualisation and dynamic experimentation.
Fast forward to today: the square is a shadow of it former self. The place has been vandalised. It has no electricity as a result of rampant cable theft in the townships.
The square has suffered the theft of metallic fixtures for scrap metal exchange and the total destruction of essential infrastructure. Glass windows are broken, the aluminium frames stolen. Water pipes and electrical plugs were removed.
On a visit to the square, the underground parking was found to be flooded as a result of blocked sewer pipes. A political party office barely operates, including the internationally-acclaimed choreographer Nomsa Manaka’s dance studio.