The eThekwini Municipality in KwaZulu Natal will unveil nine metre-high bronze statues of Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo in the Moses Mabhida Stadium precinct and North Beach beachfront on March 6. The unveiling will be conducted by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
During a media briefing, eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba said the statues are part of a strategy to expand tourism infrastructure and strengthen heritage tourism.
Before their official unveiling, the statues, procured at R11 million (US$689 040) each, are generating interest among local and international visitors, according to Xaba.
Beyond tourism, Xaba said the statues and their locations carry historical significance. He referenced Mandela’s first rally in Durban at Kings Park Stadium two weeks after his release in 1990 where he addressed more than 200 000 people and called for peace, unity and reconciliation, stating: “Take your guns, spears and pangas and throw them in the sea. Close down the death factories. End this war now.”
Xaba clarified that no financial resources were diverted from service delivery projects to fund the statues. He said the installations were financed through allocations made in previous years’ budgets and did not affect current or ongoing service delivery commitments.
“The statues stand as symbols of heritage and pride, funded responsibly and transparently, without compromising the delivery of essential services to our people,” he said.
In addition, the municipality is engaging with the Consul-General of Portugal to relocate a sculpture of Portuguese Poet Fernando Pessoa from the city centre to the Durban Botanical Gardens. Durban said the move aims to preserve the legacy of the literary figure while promoting shared heritage between South Africa and Portugal.
