eThekwini Municipality quiet about R22-million statues made in China
Many questions, but no one from the municipality is talking about it...
Officials in Durban are scrambling to find any sort of answers when it comes to covering for the municipality.
According to reports surfacing from IOL, the eThekwini Municipality is in the dark about the R22-million that was used to make the statues - which were reportedly created in China.
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The report also includes that the municipality refuses to mention who the artist is and why the statues weren't done locally from the start.
There has been a lot of stop and start moments during this drama.
One thing is for sure, where there is smoke, there is also fire.
It appears that local artists weren't contacted about this project.
They would've remembered if a call for proposals had been made or if someone had been directly commissioned.
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According to Independent newspaper, statues of former African National Congress leaders Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo were created in bronze for a big fee.
Municipal spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela addressed this and confirmed the actual amount the statues cost.
"Both statues of these great leaders had cost roughly R22-million," says Msawakhe.
More communication on when people can see these statues has also been revealed by the city's spokesperson.
The municipality replied to a mail indicating that the two statues were scheduled to leave China on 4 October.
"If there are no further delays caused by the war between Ukraine and Russia, congestions in the harbours, the 4 October schedule will remain in place," says the eThekwini statement.
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Main image attribution: Shelley Kjonstad