Minister Nathi Mthethwa on defacing and violent removal of colonial statues
8 Apr 2015
We have noted the defacing of Paul Kruger statue on Church Square in Pretoria, Tshwane. This happens soon after student protests have been raging around the matter of the Cecil John Rhodes statue at the University of Cape Town. These developments threaten to or have spread to other campuses and communities around the country.
As the Department of Arts & Culture we reiterate that we have not yet received any formal application for the removal of any statue in any part of the country.
As government we encourage citizen participation in efforts to find an amicable resolution to this matter through dialogue and negotiation. Thus we encourage citizens to engage in consultative community conversations find solutions to problems that face us as a country.
It must be emphasized that the National Heritage Resources Act of 1999 stipulates particular technical as well as consultative processes that should be followed in the case of a removal and or relocation of a statue.