Durban Botanical Gardens removes apartheid flag amid complaints

Durban’s Botanical Gardens has had to remove an installation meant to depict South Africa’s political transition of power after the municipality received complaints that it was offensive and provocative.

Although the work has been on the premises for more than 20 years, it recently gained notoriety after a visitor to the gardens took a video of the installation to express their initial shock at seeing the flag before realising that it transitions into the current South African flag.

A number of people immediately expressed their disgust and dismay online and posted suggestions that it should be vandalised, while others admitted to understanding the statement the art was making and that they see nothing wrong with it.

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IOL reports that the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) on Monday issued a statement calling for it to be removed within 48 hours and threatened that they would “mobilise young people to take it down” if the public park did not agree.

“The old flag belongs to the dustbin of history like the system of apartheid it represented,” said the eThekwini branch of the party in a statement.

eThekwini Municipal Parks, Recreation and Culture head Thembinkosi Ngcobo told the publication that municipal protocol was not followed when the work was put up.

He confirmed that he had received numerous complaints about the work and asked that it be taken down.

“When I investigated, I was told that it was an initiative by the Botanical Gardens management, not Parks. They thought the artwork showed transition from the old to the new era, but I told them that you must be careful when it comes to a flag since it is a national symbol and therefore it is better if they remove it,” said Ngcobo.

The Durban Botanical Gardens could not be reached for comment.

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