Note to Editors: Find attached soundbite in English by DA North West Spokesperson on Arts & Culture, Winston Rabotapi.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in North West will write to the MEC for the Department of Arts and Culture, Virginia Tlhapi, to suggest that the Zuma Liberation Route and museum in Groot Marico be turned into a cultural community centre.
During a recent oversight inspection to this Capture Site of former President Jacob Zuma in Groot Marico where a statue in his honour has been erected to the tune of R1.8 million, we found it to be deserted and dilapidated. (See picture here)
The museum on the premises has been without electricity for more than a year and the security officer guarding the white elephant is the only staff member on site.
The statue that was originally bronze, was baked into a silver shine by the sun with not even a light to keep up the pretence of bronze.
Promises of a lodge that could have created employment for the rural community of Groot Marico came to nothing, as it never progressed from the foundation. (See picture here)
The DA long warned that this would be a wasteful expenditure, but not even the community protests could stop the project.
This Zuma monument once again demonstrates that the North West Government’s interests lie with the ANC and not with the people of this province.
Groot Marico, like so many other small dorpies in North West, needs centres where the youth can be exposed to arts and culture to acquire skills that will give them a hopeful future.
The people of North West need a liberation route that will lead to economic freedom where there is a job in every household, not statues of delinquent ANC cadres on every street corner.