DURBAN – President Cyril Ramaphosa will unveil two nine-metre bronze statues of struggle icons Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo in Durban on 6 March, as debate continues over the R22 million cost of the monuments commissioned by eThekwini Municipality.
The statues, each costing R11 million, have become the centre of controversy due to questions over expenditure and timing, while the city faces ongoing infrastructure challenges.
The statue of Mandela has been erected at Moses Mabhida Stadium, while the Tambo statue stands on the Durban beachfront promenade.
EThekwini mayor Cyril Xaba confirmed the unveiling date at a media briefing in Durban on Sunday, describing the statues as a key part of the city’s tourism strategy and heritage portfolio.
Xaba said the locations carry profound historical significance. He noted that two weeks after his release from prison in 1990, Mandela addressed his first rally in Durban at Kings Park Stadium before more than 200 000 people.
“He called for peace, unity, and reconciliation, declaring, ‘Take your guns, spears and pangas and throw them in the sea. Close down the death factories. End this war now’,” Xaba said.
The DA’s eThekwini mayoral candidate, Haniff Hoosen, has however asked the Public Protector to investigate the decision to spend R22 million on statues while the city faces what he described as an uncontrollable water and sanitation crisis. He claimed money had been redirected from infrastructure projects for the statues.
Responding to the criticism, Xaba said no financial resources were diverted from service delivery projects to fund the statues.
“These statues were financed through allocations made in previous years’ budgets, and therefore did not impact current or ongoing service delivery commitments,” the mayor said.
“Service delivery remains our foremost priority, and the municipality continues to channel resources toward projects that directly benefit our communities.”
Xaba said the statues stand as symbols of heritage and pride, funded responsibly and transparently, without compromising the delivery of essential services.
He said the city attracted more than 1.2 million visitors during the festive season, contributing close to R9 billion to the GDP. The mayor said the statues were already generating excitement among local and international visitors before their official unveiling.
The municipality is currently implementing more than R227 billion in catalytic projects across the city, which are expected to create more than 300 000 sustainable jobs. The city announced a R1 billion investment in December for the new Durban Fun World, which will be developed into an amusement and family entertainment park.
The municipality is also engaging with the Consul-General of Portugal to relocate the sculpture of Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa from the city centre to the Durban Botanical Gardens.
