Home News MEC to meet with Upington 26 trialists after monument defaced

MEC to meet with Upington 26 trialists after monument defaced

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One of the Struggle heroes recently removed his face from the historical monument by painting over his portrait.

The faces of the trialists adorn the Upington 26 monument, where one of the faces was painted over recently. Picture: Supplied

THE MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture, Desery Fienies, will lead a high-level delegation to Upington to meet with the surviving Upington 26 trialists after the monument that was erected in their honour was defaced.

One of the Struggle heroes recently removed his face from the historical monument by painting over his portrait.

The trialists were sentenced to death for the crowd killing of a municipal police officer in Paballelo in 1985. They were later released after their sentences were overturned on appeal in 1991 following an international outcry.

Former political prisoner Zonga Mokgatla said that the ANC had failed the Struggle heroes, where they and their families were left destitute, without jobs or a source of income.

Northern Cape Department of Sport, Arts and Culture spokesperson Morapedi Sekhoane believed that the defacing of the monument called for serious social dialogue involving the former political prisoners.

“The department stands for social cohesion and nation building and views the matter on a serious note. The department sees this act as an obstruction of history. The removal of the face of the former liberation struggle prisoner is tantamount to removing himself from the events that he took part in during the Struggle. It raises the alarm bells on the real motives behind the defacing,” said Sekhoane.

“Former political prisoners are an important part of our Struggle history and are living legends. Their role as heroes and heroines is a critical part of our heritage and history. We value their contribution, roles in society and continue to cherish their selfless acts as an important foundation for modern democracy. They deserve to be listened to and be heard.

“We pride ourselves as change agents who have set a world best practise in resolving disputes through dialogue and continued engagement despite being a diverse and multicultural society.”

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