It’s a hotly contested topic at the moment, especially for students at UCT: should the statue of Cecil John Rhodes at the university stay or go?
Amid poo-flinging, bitter memories of Cape Town’s chequered history being dredged up, and now Swastikas being daubed on the university walls, there are still many mixed emotions about what the statue represents. At this point, UCT is gathering feedback from the students about how to go forward with this and address the transformation which is so apparently needed.
Let’s hope that education remains the priority here. How do you feel about the statue? Should these energies rather be cast into prioritising education or does the statue need to be removed and replaced with a symbol of unity that all students can agree upon?
Who woke up one day and realised that there was a statue of Cecil John Rhodes that they had somehow overlooked all this while?
— IG: Busi_Ree (@Busi_Ree) March 19, 2015
The pigeons have been crapping on the Cecil John Rhodes statue at UCT for 107 years. And we only start doing it now. — Justin Williams (@JustinUtopia) March 19, 2015
Ok, that’s it. I’ve done my own research into the man, and when it comes to Cecil John Rhodes, we cannot use the ends to justify the means. — Pitsi Kewana (@kumarclark) March 18, 2015
To judge Cecil John Rhodes through the contemporary lens of liberal democracy is misguided. He’s behavior suited his time. — Roman Cabanac (@RomanCabanac) March 18, 2015
I went to Rhodes. Studied History. Learned about what a gigantic douchenozzle Cecil John was. A name change would be for the best, I feel.
— Stuart Buchanan (@StuBuSA) March 18, 2015
So there r some Swastika posted on the wals at UCT campus. The protest just got Heated! *waits for the Rhodes statue defenders 2 b offended*
— I Am an African (@Vuyo16) March 19, 2015
I guess ppl focus on different things or I’m ignorant. Of all my 5 yrs at UCT, I never knew that’s was Rhodes statue, neither did I care. — InvstBanker (@tommykwela) March 18, 2015
Photography Telegraph
It s part of history so it should stay.
Agreed its part of history… Past is the past forgive forget and move on to be better..
its a joke that this is even being contemplated. These students clearly have nothing better to do than waste time instead of focusing on learning , considering where they are. If they don’t like the statue go to another university. Sick and tired if the past being drawn into natters that are trivial. But made bigger than they are.
History cannot be wished away….it should stay!
History is comprised of events we like and events we don’t. All of these brought us to where we are today. Getting rid of evidence that reminds us of what we don’t like is not realistic or healthy. Moving on and making a better history for future generations is a more productive course of action. Everyone has the ability to stoop to a lower level but to rise above and make better choices takes maturity.
Take away the statue. Take away the Cecil John Rhodes burseries. That’s fair enough!! Focus on your studies!
It’s should stay !!
Troy Ashton Futter
Plays a huge part in cape town history~stay stay!
Why is it they only came to varsity and all the years this statue
Has been there ,it never bothered anyone .who is been racist now, they should get on with studies not politics
What would be replaced by?
I see this as a short sighted attempt to deflect from the purpose of the UCT. The UCT is there to educate people, not stagnate. Should we eliminate the Rhodes Mandela Trust? Let us not bow to ignorance.
It’s a beautiful statue. Does anyone really believe that removing the statue will somehow change things? And does anyone really think that institutions such as UCT would be the #1. University in Africa if we didn’t have our rich history.
Don’t destroy existing statues, build additional and more relevant ones. And not another Madiba statue…. There are many other heors from our history that can be honoured and remembered in this way.
Good or bad history should remain…………
Do we want to prove that we have a third world mentality? This is being followed worldwide and will affect our standing.
Couldn’t have said it better !
It should
Students seem to forget why they’re at university – to learn.
They never gonna give up
They wouldn’t have that university if it wasn’t for him. You can’t change history. He should stay.
Stay. There are far more “traumatic” issues facing our country. If this dude complaining finds this statue traumatic, then he’s lead a very sheltered life and should get over himself!
Thats destroying history. ……..then we might as well demolish Robben Island and the Castle…….think carefully peeps…..this is our history
It should be destroyed immediately ,everything that symbolise apartheid
Worse things tp fight about
no it should stay
Stay!!
stay
UCT student are just dramatic. As if they ever paid attention to it. Ever.
CapeTownEtc if the statue goes so should the Rhodes scholarship and Mandela Rhodes funding for UCT students – it’s inly fair
I say it should stay. He gave the land for the university to be built on. The students that have a problem with the statue are free to go to another university.
Keep the statue, get rid of the scum that play with filth.
Stay.
Cecil John Rhodes did two great things in his life:
1. Bequething the piece of land to Cape Town where the Kirstenbosch Botanical gardens are today and
2. Second best thing he did was dying.
Yes
Remove
He passed the Glen Grey Act , statue should have been removed years ago
Even Hitler admired his ideals , that should tell you something
I suppose the Rhodes Scholarships should go when the statue goes.
Taking it away won’t change what’s been moving forward without chips on shoulders will change what is
If you get rid of the statue get rid of the Rhodes bursarys…..do these students not have anything else to do…. Get on with your studies and leave history….
History is history… u cant change it. Make your own history and eventually make your own monuments to commemorate your own journeys …
Stay, it is our History, it has been there for this long. Why now do you want to take it down???? No no. We need to keep Cecil John Rhodes statue as well as the memorial!!!!!
100% Agree
Stay, it is part of our country’s history…
What would Nelson Mandela do? He would not have it removed as in Zelda la Grange’s book Good Morning, Mr Mandela she wrote that she noticed that in Tuynhuys, the President’s office in Cape Town, the pictures of the old Presidents and Prime Ministers continued to hang on the walls. She found it strange that he wouldn’t erase the past, seeing as how these people had spearheaded the oppression of his people and imprisoned him. But she was told that President Mandela insisted that they stayed there as they were a part of South Africa’s history.
Stay
as much as it is our history it brings pain to some, it is a constant reminder of apartheid, it might not be removed but tell me how do you expect a united country mean while u symbolize apartheid …….but then some are just not willing to meet half way.#just passing by.
I agree and disagree with many of the comments posted.
ccorruption is th core issue, we as a people must stand together against our leaders as it is us who have given them this power over us. We need to have all and I mean ALL of them removed at our next elections and start fresh with a new government.
policies need to be enforced and potential leaders need to be investigated to confirm their education.
Payouts need to be made to people with information that leads to conviction of politicians and police officials after this we can move forward in building our new nation as Nelson Mandela intended.
What pains me is that some black south african people paint all white south africans with the same racist brush, they do not see the racist actions taken against us afrikaans whites.
Why not change all street names associated with Rhodes too AND not to an african name that’s just racist make it something meaningful or at least something that means nothing to anyone like ‘stone’ or table streets ‘
sad that race issues get Resolved with racist methods let’s rub it in the whities faces and make it Malema street’
Yes I said it that’s the order of the day with our current government.
No more ANC no more DA No more EFF they must all go!