Should SA pay millions for iron and stone homage to its heroes?

In a country where great emphasis is placed on transformation, the government seeks to ensure that struggle icons are recognised for their role in the fight against apartheid. 

Erecting statues and renaming national key points plays a major role in achieving this.

However, almost every time a new statue is unveiled, there is much debate about the costs involved - and in most cases, how those funds could have otherwise been spent.

This was evident recently when various media outlets reported on statues of Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo in Durban. The two statues will reportedly set the municipality back R20m, which set social media abuzz.

Similarly, in September 2018 Mpumalanga's provincial government paid tribute to Mandela with a 6m statue outside the provincial legislature in Mbombela, reportedly worth around R8.3m.

The year before that, Cape Town announced plans to erect a R3.5m statue of Madiba on the balcony of the city hall, where he gave his first speech after being released from prison. The statue was eventually unveiled in July 2018.

Also in July last year, the Sunday Times reported on The Long Walk to Freedom exhibition at the National Heritage Monument in Tshwane. The initial plan was to have 400 to 500 life-sized bronze statues of historic figures, but currently there are only 100.

Sarah Haines of the National Heritage Project Company (NHPC) said the installation would cost R7m-R8m. It was not clear if she was referring to the cost of the 100 statues already in place or the entire endeavour of 400-500 pieces.

NHPC CEO Dali Tambo reportedly quoted a much higher figure at a parliamentary briefing, where he said the company would need a whopping R800m for the project.

Spending millions on memorial symbols irks some people, who feel the money would be better spent on service delivery, social welfare and other projects that directly benefit those who are still alive.