MAKHADO – Residents awoke on Wednesday to the sight of the recently unveiled statue of the late King Makhado at the tourism information centre’s being painted in the three primary colours of the former South African flag.

The statue, which was unveiled last week as part of the province’s Heritage celebration, fell prey to vandals who painted the legs blue, the torso white and the head vibrantly orange. The incident evoked a furore within the municipal area. The act of vandalism comes amidst the controversy surrounding the highly sensitive name change issue, which saw the town’s historic name change from Louis Trichardt to Makhado.

“We condemn the barbaric and uncivilized manner in which the statue of King Makhado has been vandalised. The fact that the colours of the old regime were utilized is a clear indication that the culprits are still living in the old order,” said Mr Peter Magwala, the Makhado Municipality’s Director of Corporate Services. Magwala continued to state that “this is a clear provocation and insult, not only to the Makhado Municipality, but the nation as a whole. It has to be emphasized, however, that the barbaric act will not in any way divert our attention of totally and fundamentally transforming this municipality. The process of nation building will continue even after this ugly incident. What is of critical importance is that we have received messages of support from members of all communities, including the white community as well.”

Magwala mentions the fact that several members of the white community volunteered to clean the statue at their own cost.

“This means that the people must not view the incident as a white against black affair,” said Magwala. In the meantime, the Makhado Municipality expressed the hope that the South African Police Service will succeed in apprehending the culprits. Magwala called upon residents to come forward if they have any information about the incident.

The vandalism of the statue also sparked reaction from provincial government and the local Chairperson’s Association.

“The painting of the recently unveiled statue of King Makhado is an act of hooliganism that should be condemned in the strongest possible terms. The perpetrators should be hunted down by the law enforcers and be brought to book,” said the MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture, Mr Joe Maswanganyi. He added that he is disturbed by the realization that there is still a section of the population that insists that the old order should prevail.

The Chairman of the local Chairperson’s Association, Mr André Naudé, also stated that they condemn the incident.

“It is the Chairperson’s Association’s view that all cultural groups’ leaders, both historical and current, should be respected. We stand for the rule of law, good governance, transparency and integrity,” said Naudé.

By late Wednesday morning, workers had started the tedious task of removing the paint from the statue, while police continued their investigation.