‘Disappointing to witness’: Monument to SA’s women heroines left to fall apart

It was hard to spot the Women’s Heritage Monument in Lillian Ngoyi Square past the unkempt garden, locked gates and dirty windows. The fountain outside has run dry too.

The proposal to build the monument honouring heroines was approved a decade ago and only completed in 2018. Then it was left unoccupied.

Gender activist and Soul City CEO Phinah Kodisang said women in this country stood on the shoulders of women activists who sacrificed for us to achieve democratic freedoms.

“It is extremely disappointing to witness the decay and neglect of the Women’s Living Heritage Monument.

“This monument was not only meant to help us remember women’s roles in the liberation struggle but to inspire future generations of women activists so that we may become a socially just society,” she said.

Kodisang said our country did not prioritise women nor did it act with urgency when it comes to women’s issues.

“On the other hand, we need to move away from investing these huge amounts in token projects when women are hungry on the ground, don’t have jobs and startup capital to start small businesses,” she said.

“R28 million can go a long way in changing the current situation of the many women who are mostly black and poor,” Kodisang added.

Democratic Alliance (DA) shadow MEC for sports, arts, culture and recreation Kingsol Chabalala called on MEC Mbali Hlophe to urgently repair the shoddy work at the Women’s Living Heritage Monument, adding:

“As we celebrate Women’s Month, it is sad that the Women’s Living Heritage Monument in Tshwane is still not fully operational.”

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He said the monument was erected to honour and commemorate women who have played a pivotal role in the struggle against apartheid.

“This state-of-the-art monument that cost over R200 million was completed in 2018 and almost R80 million more has been spent on getting this facility operational.

“To date, this monument continues to be non-operational due to shoddy work,” he said.

During an oversight inspection at the monument, it was discovered that the roof was leaking, the lifts and the fire hydrants were not working and some of the light fittings were still wrapped in protective plastic.

“We discovered that the statues of our nation’s female heroines were hidden in the kitchen and are not being used to teach the youth and tourists about our history,” he said.

Chabalala said the monument was not serving its purpose.

“We demand MEC Hlophe prioritises fixing the shoddy work and ensures that an occupational certificate is obtained as soon as possible”, he said.

“This monument has huge potential to grow the local economy and create employment opportunities in the tourism sector”.

DA Gauteng spokesperson for sports, arts, culture and recreation Wildri Peach said the monument has urban renewal potential.

“We have a large number of informal traders in this area and it could act as a catalyst for urban renewal in the CBD of Tshwane.”

Department of sports, arts, culture and recreation spokesperson Nomazwe Ntlokwana said the department was preparing for the MEC’s site inspection.