Tis the season: EFF want Paul Kruger statue ‘tearing down’

It’s Heritage Day, and whether you’re firing up the braai or just having a chilled one today, it’s the best time of the year to embrace your own background, and perhaps even learn something new about a different culture. However, the EFF in Tshwane have slightly different plans for today – they want to bring down a Paul Kruger statue.

EFF protest to remove Paul Kruger statue

The monument, which sits in Church Square, Tshwane, has become a frequent target for vandals over the years. Superficial damage has been caused to the memorial, and various shades of paint have been smeared across the cast-iron face of Paul Kruger. However, the Red Berets want to go the whole hog now.

Taking to Twitter, Obakeng Ramabodu – the regional leader for the EFF in Tshwane – issued a call for the local DA government to tear down the infamous statue. It’s understood that a protest will take place in Church Square later on Friday, with the express goal of removing the colonial figure from public view.

Statue wars: Church Square set for demonstrators

The movement also has the backing of Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, who shared details of the demo with his 1.4 million followers.

“EFF in Tshwane Heritage Day… loading. Paul Kruger Square. Friday 24 September. The EFF Tshwane calls on the DA to remove the Paul Kruger Statue.”

Obakeng Ramabodu

#PaulKrugerMustFall pic.twitter.com/R8yXn8assM

— Mbuyiseni Ndlozi (@MbuyiseniNdlozi) September 23, 2021

Who is Paul Kruger?

He served as the President of South Africa for almost 20 years in the late 1800s. He led South Africa during the Boer War, and his colonialist history makes him a target of modern political activists.

Paul Kruger has his admirers, but his detractors make themselves heard too. After dying in Switzerland, his body was buried at Heroes Acre in Pretoria. Several statues were later erected in his honour, but institutions like the EFF believe these ‘monuments to subjugation’ have no place in South Africa in the 21st century.