Madiba statue to inspire Palestinians

28 April 2016

 

Palestine and South Africa might be separated by more than 7 000km of land and sea but the two countries are united in their love and admiration of the late freedom fighter, statesman and former President Nelson Mandela.

 

On Tuesday Johannesburg Executive Mayor Councillor Parks Tau, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Ramallah Mayor Mousa Hadid and South African embassy officials unveiled a six-metre statue of Mandela at the Nelson Mandela Square in Al-Tireh, Ramallah.

 

The bronze statue, which took seven months to complete, was created by South African artists Lungisa Khala‚ Christina Salvodi and Tanya Lee‚ and commissioned by the City of Johannesburg.

 

Speaking last night at the illumination of the Mandela Bridge as part of a worldwide 100-day countdown to the start of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 5, Executive Mayor Tau said the spirit of Mandela would continue to spur the Palestinians towards their total emancipation.

 

“I was fortunate to represent South Africa and the City of Johannesburg at the historic occasion to celebrate the life and times of our icon and father of the nation, Madiba. But it was also an occasion to bring a message of hope to the people of Palestine that they will be able to achieve their own objectives of reaching their own freedom as a people.

 

“We said to the people of Palestine that for us this is a message of solidarity and for them it serves as a message of hope that they will get to a two-state solution and that there will be lasting peace in the Middle East,” said Mayor Tau.

 

The unveiling follows a visit to Ramallah South African Local Government Association (SALGA) officials in November 2014 to attend the International Conference of Local Authorities in Solidarity with the People of Palestine. The visit culminated in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between City of Johannesburg and Ramallah to promote city-to-city ties.