And in other news, with the removal of the recumbent Rhodes statue from their grounds, The University of Cape Town’s Senate has announced plans to erect a new statue in its place.
While the process may seem unnaturally hurried, according to UCT Vice Chancellor, Max Price, who has gone on record previously by stating he too had called for the removal of the Rhodes statue, in his more heady days as a student activist, the university has consulted with both the Heritage Foundation and various activist groups, (many of which have sprung up literally overnight in the wake of the #RhodesMustFall controversy) to replace the now vacant plinth spot with a statue of struggle hero and current president, Jacob Zuma.
The new statue, commissioned by the Senate and pending approval by the Heritage Foundation and the City Council, will feature Zuma in the regal pose of counting on his fingers. Bronzed, for ease of reference, and to avoid any likely discolouration in the event of future protests against then defunct regimes, outlines for the statue, which will stand at just under 6 metres tall (so as not to challenge the standing of a former, though possibly equally revered statesman) will be unveiled at a university function on 27 April, in honour of Freedom Day.
The EFF, while approached, were unavailable for comment, though one wonders how long the statue of Zuma will remain unmolested of charges that it Pay Back The Money. They have, however, come under some fire from ANC Chief Whip, Stone ‘no-pun-intended’ Sizani for the subsequent defacement of the statue of Louis Botha’s horse, an unashamedly racist beast by all accounts, in front of Parliament.
(c) Routers
