Plea for President Zuma to show leadership

In February President Jacob Zuma kick-started the attack on the heritage of South African minority groups by stating that “Jan van Riebeeck’s arrival in Cape Town was the beginning of South Africa’s problems”.   In this past week there has been several disgraceful attacks on a myriad pre-apartheid symbols including attacks on statues of key figures from the Anglo-Boer such as the 112 year old statue of Queen Victoria in Port Elizabeth, the 80+ year old statue of Cecile John Rhodes at the University of Cape Town and the statues of Boer war leaders such as President Paul Kruger in Pretoria and General Louis Botha in Cape Town. The debate of how South Africa should confront symbols of its past is sensitive and has the potential to spiral out of control and further escalate racial tension.   We plea that President Zuma show leadership and speak out against these attacks and treat our heritage with the dignity and respect such a sensitive matter deserves.