Durban — The long-delayed construction of the historic 1860 Indentured Indian Monument in Durban is back on the cards, but there is still resistance in some sections of the Indian community.
Those opposing the continuation of the project, set to cost R4.4 million, want KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli to consult with them first, which could further delay the project, which has already seen a 14-year delay.
The project has been hit by a series of snags, but during his maiden State of the Province Address last week in Pietermaritzburg, Ntuli vowed to “fast-track” the construction. The project was first approved in 2010 but has not seen the light of day due to a litany of setbacks.
“As the seventh administration, we will ensure that the construction of the 1860 Indentured Indian Labourers Monument is completed on time.”
However, a section of the Indian community – including prominent local activist-cum-politician Thanasagren Moodley, who leads the 1860 NIC Congress, which he argued was the largest lobby group – asked Ntuli to consult with the Indian community first.
“While we applaud your intention to have the monument erected as soon as possible, it is imperative that the monument meets the approval of the Indian community at large in terms of both locality and design,” said Moodley.
Moodley called for the process to be halted for greater consultation with the Indian community. Among the concerns was that the majority of the Indian community did not know about the proposal to build an 1860 monument.
He also argued that the current design of the monument, to mark the arrival of the Indians as indentured labourers, had not been approved by the majority of the Indian community.
Also among the critics is Prince Ishwar Ramlutchman Mabheka Zulu, who was part of an initial 1860 organising committee. He said he had raised his objections to the monument’s design on numerous occasions.
He was quoted by the Daily News’s sister publication, Post, as saying: “The monument concluded by a select few or ‘cabal’ in Durban does not represent the Indian indentured labourers.”
Responding to critics, Selvan Naidoo, the director of the 1860 Heritage Centre, who designed the yet-to-be-built monument, said: “It is regrettable and without foundation that these allegations have surfaced in the public domain at the 11th hour despite a willingness to engage constructively in ensuring that the long overdue monument is completed.”
He added: “It is, however, very encouraging to note that the KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli has publicly committed to fast-tracking the completion of the monument. I believe that this is an indication of due diligence and compliance.”
During her budget speech in March, former finance MEC, Peggy Nkonyeni, announced that the provincial government had set aside R4.1m for the construction of the monument.
“These funds were recalled into the Provincial Revenue Fund a number of years ago when this project was showing little progress,” Nkonyeni said at the time.
Ntuli’s spokesperson, Lindelani Mbatha, directed the Daily News to contact the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture.
The KZN Department of Sport, Arts and Culture had promised that the project, to be constructed in the uShaka Marine vicinity, would begin at the end of this month.
However, Ntando Mnyandu, the department’s media liaison officer, said: “Permission for the contractor to access the site has been sought from the eThekwini Municipality. We would rather not describe all the details of the design, as the monument’s unveiling will be open to the public once the construction has been completed.”
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