ANC offended by Durban elephant sculptures

Officials are expected to present a report to municipal manager Michael Sutcliffe today on what procedures were followed in commissioning a R1.5 million elephant sculpture next to the freeway into Durban, which has offended some ANC members.

Work on the three elephants has been stopped, apparently after ANC politicians in the council objected that they were a symbol of the IFP.

The artist, internationally acclaimed Andries Botha, said yesterday that he had been invited to a meeting at the city hall in October last year by the head of international and government relations at the municipality, Eric Apelgren, who had seen elephant sculptures placed in other countries.

Botha said he had given a briefing on the Human Elephant Foundation, an organisation he founded, and city official Nick Combrink was given a mandate to draw up a contract with him for the three elephants to be positioned near the new Warwick Avenue interchange. His contract, presented to him by Combrink, was with the city sub-contractor Rumdel Construction, which was doing the upgrade in the area.

He said work on the sculptures began in November and was almost finished.

Last week, one of his apprentices was accosted by an unknown man driving a black SUV, who demanded that they stop work because the elephant was the symbol of the IFP.

The following day, said Botha, he received an e-mail from Rumdel, ordering that he stop work immediately, with no reason given.

The reason cited by Sutcliffe - and by the ANC chairman in eThekwini region, John Mchunu - was that the project had not been not discussed or approved by the council.

"I suspect that there would have been no problem if it was properly discussed," Mchunu said yesterday. "But the ANC is not in a position to comment on this issue until we receive an official report from the council. It is difficult to comment on this issue just on the basis of media reports."

However, Durban businessman John Charter tells a different story.

In a report in the Sunday Tribune, he says he met Sutcliffe at a cocktail party recently and, when the issue of the sculptures came up, Sutcliffe said they were being taken down immediately because "it's just not politically expedient".

Botha is adamant that the committee which gave him the thumbs-up was "duly constituted" and he had been given a mandate by the council to do the work.

"How else would I be able to work on an island in the middle of a freeway in the city? It's all a bit of a mystery. I believe that officials are going to be reporting back this morning. Until I get feedback, I don't really know where I stand," said Botha.

"I don't wish to malign anybody and I don't wish to be maligned. I was invited to put up an artwork. I just want the right thing done from now on and I want to save the integrity of the artwork."

He said he had already received half of the R1.5m due and had spoken to a lawyer.

"I did not break the contract and so I believe they will have to abide by it. I would not be at all happy if they tore them down, even if they paid me in full."

Botha said the elephant was a "symbol of Africa", and not just of one political party. Apelgren did not respond to messages left for him yesterday.

Cape Times

Posted at 11:26AM Feb 15, 2010 by Editor in Industry  |  Comments[11]