Proposed statue of President Jacob Zuma a ‘national shame’: DA

The Democratic Alliance says the money allocated by the North West provincial government for a six-metre bronze statue of President Jacob Zuma should be spent on other “priorities” that will benefit the country.

“Money allocated to the 6m bronze statue of Jacob Zuma which Premier Supra Mahumapelo’s ANC government is hell-bent on building‚ would be much better spent on a long list of priorities that would benefit the people of South Africa‚ rather than deifying Jacob Zuma‚” DA North West leader Joe McGluwa said in a statement.

He said job creation‚ services and infrastructure‚ which are “desperately lacking” should be addressed first before statues are built.

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“Equally‚ the statue-millions would be much better and much more appropriately spent on completing the IPID investigation into the Marikana Massacre that left 34 people dead at the hands of the state in the North West Province.

“Since 2016 the IPID has begged Parliament for R5 million to fund the remainder of its Marikana investigation‚ in line with the Farlam Commission remedial action‚ yet no funds have been available for this.

“South Africa as a nation‚ and the North West Province‚ deserve for the horrific events of Marikana to be taken seriously by government and an investigation by IPID is essential to properly identify wrong-doing. Until the investigation is fully funded‚ the Marikana Massacre is not being properly addressed by the ANC government‚ who would clearly rather spend millions on a statue‚” McGluwa said.

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He said the funding IPID requires for completing the Marikana investigation must be a national priority.

“… a multi-million rand statue of Jacob Zuma is a national shame.

“We do not need monuments to corruption and unemployment‚ by building statues to Jacob Zuma‚ we need healing for the wounds that Marikana has inflicted.”