Anglo-Boer War statue defaced in East London

According to Buffalo City Municipality spokesperson Thandy Matebese, the statue was defaced at about 9pm on Saturday.

“A security guard on duty at the City Hall saw four men painting the statue, and when they noticed him they fled. Their faces were painted to conceal their identity,” he said.

Matebese added no one had claimed responsibility for the act. The statue is the commemoration of soldiers who lost their lives in the Anglo-Boer war from 1899 to 1902.

The statue forms part of the City Hall precinct, wherein the first Truth and Reconciliation Commission was held and statues of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and black consciousness proponent Steve Biko can also be found.

The statue is the latest in a recent spate of colonial-era statues being vandalised across the country. Last week, the statue of Mathama Gandhi’s statue at Gandhi Square in the Johannesburg CBD had paint thrown on it.

Molefe Maile, 21, appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court, charged with the malicious damage to property after he was caught allegedly defacing the statue with white paint. Maile was released on R500 bail.

Earlier this month, the Horse Memorial statue in Port Elizabeth was dismantled on Monday, for which the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) took responsibility.

Municipal spokesperson Roland Williams said the portion of the statue detached from the plynth had been moved from the site and stored for safekeeping.

In Pretoria, part of the statue of Paul Kruger in Church Square was painted green following calls for its removal.

“Nobody has claimed responsibility, so at this stage we don’t know if it was an opportunistic act or linked to the ANC Youth League’s call last week to remove the statue,” mayoral spokesperson Blessing Manale said.

– Caxton News Service