City lays 1860 monument saga to rest

THE ethekwini Municipality has finally put to bed the controversial 1860 Indian Indentured Monument saga dating back to 2015.

The monument was supposed to commemorate the role played by South Africans of Indian origin and embrace the city’s cultural diversity, arts and heritage. The project was conceived in 2010 when South Africa was commemorating the 150 years of the arrival of indentured Indian labourers to the shores of Kwazulu-natal.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between ethekwini Municipality and the KZN Premier’s office Heritage Directorate. In March 2015, the premier’s office paid R4.8 million to ethekwini for the monument. ethekwini had set aside a site on the South Beach promenade for the monument.

Part of the agreement was that the municipality use its own Supply Chain Management processes. However, due to various problems associated with the implementation of the project, the Provincial Treasury and Premier’s Portfolio committee recalled the funds in 2018.

The city paid the money except for R260 445, which was supposed to be paid to Ruben Reddy Architects. The money was withheld pending the regularisation process, but Municipal Architectural services paid it from their coffers. Now the city will pay the final amount to the province.

The ethekwini Parks, Recreation and Culture (PRC) unit stated that the premier’s office could implement the project in their own way and, as per the request from the monument representatives. The PRC unit also wanted the MOU to be cancelled and declared null and void.

Exco member and DA councillor Yogis Govender said it was disappointing that the saga was allowed to continue for 12 years. Govender called for consequence management reports on the issue.

“It is characteristic of what the PRC unit used to do. We hope that the unit will be turned around with new management that has come in,” Govender said.

ethekwini mayor councillor Mxolisi Kaunda said it had been on the agenda of the previous administration where there was no consensus reached about the design of the monument.

Kaunda said the issue was the dispute regarding the design of the monument committee and no fault of the municipality.

“Attempts were made to bring the relevant parties together to agree on a design, which did not materialise,” Kaunda said.

ANC Exco member Nkosenhle Madlala said the party supported the erection of a monument. He said the disagreement was not the city’s fault.

“In future, the city must look at funding a similar project on our own that will serve the same purpose of honouring those indentured labourers and ensuring their history and what happened does not get lost,” Madlala said.