SA Navy rejects 'unauthorised' artwork

04 January 2015 - 02:00 By Bobby Jordan
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A bronze sculpture entitled Standby Diver has been snubbed by the South African Navy and now stands nearby on a public pier in Simon's Town.

The 2m-high statue, paid for by donations from divers around the world, was created by sculptor Otto du Plessis, a former navy diver.

"[The navy] had a problem with it because it was initiated by divers pre-1994," he said .

Du Plessis said he had tried to portray "the essence of what navy divers are all about".

Navy spokesman Zamo Sithole said the statue had never been officially authorised by senior management.

"When this request reached the SA navy HQ, the statue was already being built without the SA Navy's strategic input and knowledge about it," he said.

"Secondly, the former navy divers responsible for the project had already communicated with certain navy members at tactical level without the knowledge of SA Navy top management."

In diving parlance, a standby diver provides emergency back-up.

Former navy diver Robin Sprong said there was "a lot of politics" around the statue but that the new location was more visible and appropriate.

Chairman of the Simon's Town Amenities Development Company , Arne Soderlund, a former SA Navy rear-admiral, said the statue was intended to stand next to the small boat harbour alongside to the navy's diving school. He said the problem appeared to have been administrative and that the Naval Heritage Trust had taken custody of the piece.

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