Visitors to the Talana Museum over the weekend were surprised to find that a Nelson Mandela statue had been put up in the grounds.  The statue arrived there several weeks ago.

People at the Museum were unsure what the background of the statue was.  The Courier followed up and on Monday the three local artists, Sibusiso Luvuno, Hassan Salumu and Calvin Simons arrived at the office to announced that it was their handiwork.

“We made the statue about six months ago from steel, concrete and finished it off in fibre glass. We took it to the museum during the Creations exhibition about two months ago but did not hear anything as Mayor Mahaye told us to ‘leave it to him’.  We were expecting the Municipality to put up a plaque or plant a garden,” said Calvin, who famously made World Cup artifacts in 2010.

The three artists said they made the statue to ensure the Mandela legacy continues for ever in Dundee – a town the icon visited in the early 1990s.

“Hopefully, the statue will get more recognition – sadly now that Madiba has passed on.”  Calvin said they also want to sculpture more statues of leaders and are even willing to make busts of Mandela should anyone want one for their own use.

It is unclear at this stage who made the statue but it is believed to be the work of a local artist.

The statue caught the attention of visitors who spent the day there following the death of the icon on Thursday evening.

Anyone with information regarding the statue is asked to please contact the Courier.  dundee.courier@caxton.co.za or telephone 034 21 82534.