MEC Manana condemns the violation of Simelane statue
BETHAL –
MEC for Culture, Sport and Recreation, Ms Sibongile Manana condemns
the barbaric action of a few criminal elements who allegedly damaged
the Nokuthula Simelane statue and attempted to steal it last night
(Monday, 24 January 2011) in the Bethal Cultural Precinct.
MEC Manana says such hooliganism has no space in a free and
democratic South Africa and urges all people to refrain from
attacking and violating monuments built in honour of heroes and
heroines in the country. She said hooliganism will never be
tolerated and perpetrators of such deeds will face the full wrath of
the law.
MEC Manana visited the Bethal Cultural Precinct and the Simelane
family earlier today (Tuesday, 25 January) after this criminal act
was committed. It’s alleged that the criminals forcefully removed
the statue from the precinct and loaded it to their car before
fleeing the scene. However, police reacted swiftly and managed to
arrest two suspects.
MEC Manana said even though the alleged actions of the arrested
criminals were without doubt a clear provocation and unwarranted
insult to the people of Bethal and Mpumalanga,
all citizens in the area needed to be calm and allow police to
investigate the matter further so that all people who were behind
this deed were brought before justice.
She said the department views the attempted stealing of Simelane’s statue in a serious light and will work together with the people to ensure that those who committed the crime are punished according
The statue was built by the provincial government and unveiled in
2009 to honour Simelane who was killed by the apartheid security
forces when she entered South Africa from Swaziland. She was about
to graduate from the University of Swaziland at the time of her
death and it’s believed that she was tortured by the Vlakplaas
operatives and her remains have not been found to date.