Ramaphosa to unveil controversial R22m Mandela, Tambo statues in Durban in March

The statue of Oliver Tambo which is on Durban’s North Beach is set to be officially unveiled in March, the eThekwini Municipality has announced. President Cyril Ramaphosa will unveil the statues of struggle iconsNelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo in Durban next month while debate over the R22 million spent by theeThekwini Municipalitycontinues. Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo in Durban next month while debate over the R22 million spent by theeThekwini Municipalitycontinues.

The9-metre-tall bronze statueshave become the centre of much debate due to questions over the cost involved and the lengthy wait for their unveiling.The statue of Mandela is at the Moses Mabhida Stadium and the Tambo statue is on the Durban beachfront promenade. The9-metre-tall bronze statueshave become the centre of much debate due to questions over the cost involved and the lengthy wait for their unveiling. Addressing the media in Durban on Sunday, eThekwini mayor Cyril Xaba confirmed the date for the official unveiling of the statues.

He said the statues form a key part of the City’s tourism strategy and are linked to the country’s heritage. Xaba stated that the statues and their locations carry profound historical significance. “Two weeks after his release from prison in 1990, Nelson Mandela addressed his first rally in Durban at Kings Park Stadium, where he delivered a defining message that shaped the trajectory of our nation.

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“Speaking before more than 200,000 people, he called for peace, unity, and reconciliation, declaring, and I quote, ‘Take your guns, spears and pangas and throw them in the sea. Close down the death factories. End this war now’,” Xaba said.

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