A week before the Chris Hani memorial monument was vandalised, a kiosk at the site was broken into, the sink removed and a drawer handle broken, but nothing was taken.
This emerged yesterday as the Ekurhuleni municipality officials were counting the costs of the act of the latest vandalism incident this weekend where the monument was stripped of its lights, and steel frames and a granite pillar were damaged.
The memorial is in the Thomas Nkobi Cemetery in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni, where Hani's grave is .
The granite structure, about 5m tall, was built by the council in 2015 to the tune of R65m.
Workers at the cemetery told Sowetan that a week ago the kiosk was vandalised after people broke the burglar bars to gain entry. They also suggested that the pillar was damaged by strong winds.
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City of Ekurhuleni spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said the council was assessing the damage to the memorial to determine repair costs.
“The matter has also been reported to the metro police for further investigation," he said.
“What makes the situation even more puzzling is the timing of the incident considering the recent judgment by the Constitutional Court on the Januz Waluś case. A few years ago, Hani’s grave was shot at, an incident that caused a major public outcry,” he said.
"The city wants to make it clear that no amount of sabotage, theft or vandalism can erase the contribution of stalwarts like Chris Hani.”
ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe said it was not a coincidence that the acts of vandalism took place right after Waluś’s parole judgment was handed down last week.
“It is not a coincidence that on the weekend the ANC and the SACP pickets against the Constitutional Court judgment, something like this happens. It can’t be that on a weekend when we picket, the wind mysteriously damages the [structure],” he said.
“There are other things that were removed and stolen as well, and those are surely not 'stolen' by the wind. We will allow the investigation to point us to the right direction. We have also asked the ANC caucus in Ekurhuleni to conduct their own investigation to make sure that we get to the bottom of this.”
SACP Gauteng deputy secretary Mpapa Kanyane said there was a need for more security guards to protect the monument as the two stationed at the gate were not enough.
sibiyan@sowetan.co.za
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