The DA has stated that the failure to commission the 1860 monument has shown contempt for the Indian community.
DA councillor Yogis Govender addressed the issue during a council meeting on Wednesday, following revelations that the provincial government will now take over the processes related to the building of the monument.
“The issues surrounding the commissioning of statues have always been a thorny issue, often resulting in bloated over-expenditure of taxpayers' money that many believe should be spent on service delivery,” she said.
She expressed that, years later, the Indian community is being treated with contempt, as there is no urgency in finalising this matter while it is being tossed around like a hot potato between eThekwini Municipality and the provincial government.
“In all your (city) reports of late, you quote that the reason for the delay is that the representatives of the Indian community have been unable to agree on the design. As the DA, we strongly condemn this blame-shifting of responsibility to the Indian community or their representatives to cover your inaction and shoddy treatment of this matter.”
“We have done our research, and it seems that this design issue only emerged around 2021. In fact, our information is that the initial 30-member committee comprises representatives of the Indian community from across KZN, and they had agreed on a design. The design we are told was that of statues of Indian cane cutters.”
“We keep tossing money about, bringing this matter onto the council agenda every few years to appease tick boxes, but 14 years later, all you have done is turn a spade on the soil. The Indian community deserves better. eThekwini, you need to do better and stop deflecting blame. Accept that you and the provincial government have failed to fast-track this, and the delays are of your own making,” she concluded.