On Tuesday, 3 March, President Cyril Ramaphosa officially unveiled a 10-metre-tall statue of South Africa’s first democratic president, Nelson Mandela, at the iconic Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban and a statue of apartheid struggle icon Oliver Tambo at Durban’s Beachfront.
The R22 million statues have sparked debat, with opposition parties criticising the city council for allegedly misallocating resources by prioritising the monuments over urgent service delivery challenges such as persistent water and electricity outages, arguing that the funds could have been better used to improve the city’s condition and support struggling residents.
Ramaphosa described the statues as a lasting tribute to leaders who dedicated their life to the liberation of South Africa and the pursuit of equality for all.
