New Tutu statue sought for City Hall
Buffalo City Metro wants to erect a new bronze statue of archbishop Desmond Tutu in a sitting position in front of the East London City Hall.
On Tuesday, BCM called for proposals for the design, creation and installation of the monument.
This comes amid talk of removing all colonial and apartheid-era statues in the province.
The planned statue will not be the first of Tutu in front of the city hall. A Tutu memorial, which was the work of sculptor Anton Momberg, was erected in 2006 as part of the Sunday Times Heritage project to mark its 100th anniversary.
However, it has been a target of vandals. Its head was chopped off in 2008 and further damage has been done since.
When the Dispatch visited the city hall on Tuesday a metal casing protected the statue’s space.
Mayor Xola Pakati told the Dispatch on Tuesday the vandalism was either “pure vandalism or done by racists” who wanted to undermine the role the Truth & Reconciliation Commission chair had played in the fight against apartheid.
“We have not quantified the value of the statue, but we are of the view that we can’t disregard the history and significance and presence of Desmond’s Tutu’s statue because of a few racists.
“That statue came about as a result of the East London City Hall hosting the first TRC hearing in the republic. We feel it is proper to restore that statue as it signifies our post-1994 history and the restoration of the people’s dignity,” he said.
Asked how the metro would guard the planned statue against being vandalised again, Pakati said, “Vandalism does not only occur on statues, it happens to all public infrastructure. The responsibility to protect public infrastructure is not only with the municipality, it is with all citizens, including our law enforcement agencies.”
EFF provincial chair Yazini Tetyana welcomed the plans, saying it was a “step towards the right direction”.
“The Archbishop’s contribution in the liberation struggle is immeasurable. We remember that among the defiant stunts he pulled was to go to a “whites only” beach back in the day in Cape Town.
“We support this move. The EFF will support all these initiatives driven by a desire to undo colonialism and apartheid symbols,” he said.
But, as with plans to remove both pre-democracy statues and place names, East London residents have many different and strong opinions.
Thembelani Duda, who was sitting in front of the city hall, said: “It is good that we honour our genuine leaders while they are still alive. The statues have a way of keeping our memories alive. Our country has a sad past and it is through these monuments that we can preserve our history for future generations.”
Tharisa Hokolo disagreed. “I support any work that seeks to highlight our unjust past, but our priorities should be more on making sure that money is spent on improving the lives of thousands of BCM people.
“The statues can come later, when we have created the better life all South Africans have been waiting for,” Hokolo said.
Sculptors have until noon on October 2 to submit their proposals.