More than R420 000 has been spent by the City of Cape Town to restore the oxen that form part of the historical outdoor exhibition on Pampoenkraal Square in Pampoenkraal Lane, which had been vandalised over the past year.
The restoration of the oxen has been welcomed by the Durbanville Heritage Society.
Brass human figure
“The vandalism started with the theft of the brass human figure. Over time all of the oxen sculptures were vandalised. Three of the larger oxen sculptures had their horns broken off and the rest all required attention,” Theresa Uys, Mayco Member for Corporate Services, said in response to an enquiry from TygerBurger.
The original artist, Marieke Prinsloo-Rowe, currently moves between her studios in Cape Town and Cornwall, England, where she develops most of her prototypes.
Resprayed to original colours
The casting of most of her work is done in Cape Town.
The repair work has been done by Rohan Industrial Design.
“The missing components have been recreated and attached to the sculptures. All chips, cracks, damage and weathering have been repaired and all the sculptures were resprayed to their original colours,” Uys said.
“The location of the oxen marks the original water stop for farmers passing through Durbanville and is therefore an important and special heritage site.
“This is one of the City’s heritage projects. Similar to towns such as Paarl and Franschhoek, Durbanville is celebrating its 200-year history,” Uys said.
“The upgrade of the town hall precinct was to create a quality public open space to set the tone for the upgrade of the Durbanville central business district (CBD),” she said.
Ward allocations
The total cost amounts to R420 037, of which R150 000 was funded through ward allocations and the remainder by the relevant City department.
No criminal charges were laid due to a lack of evidence.
“The City’s community, arts and culture development department asked anyone with information that could lead to those responsible to contact the City, but no information was received,” she said.
Security guard on duty
“We ask that the public report any future vandalism to the City and the police. The City has two CCTV cameras on site, as well as a security guard on duty 24 hours a day to combat further vandalism,” she said.
Report vandalism
Residents are encouraged to report when they observe any acts of vandalism to 021 480 7700.
Georina Westraadt of the Durbanville Heritage Society said the committee and members are pleased to note the restoration of the oxen on Pampoenkraal Square.
“Thank you to Alderman Uys for driving the project and finding a specialist who can repair and restore the broken animals, which form part of the installation. Hopefully, the artwork — symbolising the significance of the resting place for travellers in the early days — will be respected,” she said.
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