THE MINISTER of the Department of Cooperative Governance and Indigenous Affairs in KwaZulu-Natal, Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi, has addressed the imperfection of history with two models of ANC leaders recently unveiled in Durban.
Buthelezi said this while delivering his speech at the awarding ceremony for municipalities that have done well in KwaZulu-Natal, at the Durban International Convention Center (ICC) on Friday.
Buthelezi said that these examples are not complete without the late Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, who was the founder of the IFP and also the Prime Minister of the Zulu nation.
He then proposed that Dheku, which built these models that caused a stir, should build a third one for Mntwana.
These models include Oliver Reginald Tambo’s in North Beach, and Nelson Mandela’s in the Moses Mabhida stadium. Both were unveiled by President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier this month.
Buthelezi said that the complete and true history of South Africa’s freedom should respect him like other heroes of the struggle, the Prince of KwaPhindangene for the role he played in the struggle.
“The Prince of KwaPhindanene was a bridge between the underground of Tambo’s ANC which was in exile and Mandela’s new freedom. The Prince made sure that the struggle continued in South Africa when the apartheid government silenced Tambo and Mandela, he became the voice of the oppressed. Therefore these examples in Durban are incomplete if you don’t have his,” said Buthezi.
He lamented that the history discussed in these examples is incomplete if the Child is not included, he said honoring him and other heroes of the struggle will ensure that the history told about the struggle will reveal the cooperation of the leaders who formed the nation.
The noise went away from these models after it was revealed that they were built for R22 million.
Those who have been criticizing its construction include organizations such as the Durban Ratepayers Protest Movement as well as political parties. They said the construction of models is a waste of money that could make a big difference in bringing development to the council which is always beset by problems.
However, the Mayor of the municipality, Mr. Cyril Xaba, swore that its installation is one of the ways to invest in tourism, and he said that the money that was used to build the models was in the budget of the previous fiscal year, and was not taken from the money for the delivery of services to the community.