City of eThekwini To Spend R4.4 Million on Statue Commemorating Indentured Indians’ Arrival
- eThekwini Municipality will spend R4.4 million to erect a statue commemorating the arrival of indentured Indians in South Africa
- The Indians, who are the ancestors of the current Indian community in the country, arrived in 1860 to work on a sugar cane plantation
- South Africans slammed the expenditure and called on the government to use the money for more constructive means
- The Democratic Alliance in Durban spoke to Briefly News about the monument
With nine years of experience, Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist, provided insights into infrastructure challenges in South Africa at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.
Source: Getty Images
DURBAN, KWAZULU-NATAL—South Africans are not happy that the eThekwini Municipality is spending over R4 million to erect a monument commemorating the arrival of indentured Indians in the late 19th century.
eThekwini spends millions on statue
According to SABC News, the Municipality has set R4.4 million aside to construct a monument to celebrate the arrival of the indentured Indians in 1860. However, the City's mayor, Cyril Xaba, said disagreements over the monument's nature prevent its construction.
Xaba believed that different parties in the Municipality agreed with the monument. However, he noted that differences still exist, and he hoped they would be resolved to advance the project.
DA speaks to Briefly News
Speaking to Briefly News, the Democratic Alliance's eThekwini PR councillor Yogis Govender that the monument was an important one. She noted that it has been on the agenda since 2010.
"The dissent was created by the ANC at a provincial level. The initial team comprised a cross-section of the Indian community across KZN, who had agreed that the statues shall be figures of a male and female cane cutter. This committee was apparently unilaterally replaced by an ANC MP, sho insulted the community by replacing the figures with a slave bell, reminiscent of the inhumane conditions associated with that period," she said.
She emphasized that the DA supports the project and said it is the will of the people who played such an integral role in shaping the politics, economy and diversity in South Africa.
South Africans slam the monument
Netizens on Facebook, though, were displeased that millions would be spent on the monument.
Themba Mofokeng said:
"So much has happened in eThekwini due to floods. Has the municipality sorted all of that out? Has it completed building people's houses, bridges and roads?"
Pravesh Singh said:
"A waste of money. Money that could have been used to help those in need."
Julie Strydom said:
"And the monument will only actually cost R100,000 and will not be completed in 10 years."
Lukhwazi Sobahle said:
"People have no jobs. Some go to bed hungry. The money can be used to aid kids who cannot access tertiary education due to financial difficulties. Please put the money to good use."
Sandton Drive could be renamed
In a related article, Briefly News reported that the City of Johannesburg proposed renaming Sandton Drive Leila Khaled Drive.
Many opposed the name change because it would be named after a non-South African. Some said they were OK with its current name.
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Source: Briefly News
