Statue of Boer War president Steyn to be relocated from UFS to War Museum in Bloemfontein

Two years after kicking off their plan to have the MT Steyn statue on their campus relocated, the University of the Free State (UFS) has received confirmation that the statue will be relocated to the War Museum in Bloemfontein.

According to a statement issued by the institution on Wednesday, MEC for sport, arts, culture and recreation Limakatso Mahasa confirmed that the move had been endorsed on 1 June.

In 2018, UFS launched their Integrated Transformation Plan (ITP) with a view on delivering “excellent quality graduates [with a] knowledge of the region, the continent, and the globe through academic excellence, diversity, inclusivity, and through innovative and transformative thought”.

“One of the workstreams of the ITP is concerned with Names, Symbols, and Spaces. Topical at the moment is the review of the MT Steyn statue, which is situated in front of the main building on the Bloemfontein Campus. A public exhibition during the Vrystaat Arts Festival ensured that the review process and the statue itself remains the topic of informed intellectual conversations during the time allotted for public consultation regarding this statue,” read a 2018 announcement by UFS on the statue.

The main building itself was completed in 1909 and is a registered provincial heritage site.

Martinus Theunis Steyn was a South African lawyer, politician, and statesman who was the sixth and last president of the independent republic the Orange Free State from 1896 to 1902.

“The statue forms part of the ‘Presidentsplein’ that was dedicated/completed in 1984. However, the name chosen to commemorate both presidents MT Steyn and CR Swart (removed after the student protests during February 2016) never took hold, and the open space is known as the ‘Rooiplein’ or ‘Red Square’,” explained the UFS.

According to the institution, besides being situated on a registered provincial heritage site, the statue can be considered public art and a monument celebrating the life and work of MT Steyn. It is also one of the finest sculptures produced by Anton van Wouw.

“However, over time, statues can lose their initial meaning and can become associated with cultural and political issues. In the case of Steyn, many current students associate him with negative concepts such as colonialism, institutionalised racism, and white supremacy, among others.

“Therefore, we should consider a suitable conservation plan with strategies to either retain, remove, relocate, or re-interpret the statue and assess the heritage impact associated with each of these intervention options. Both the MT Steyn statue and the site where it is situated are bound by certain heritage considerations,” added the UFS.

The notice from MEC Mahasa came after the Appeal Committee of the Free State Provincial Heritage Resources Authority (FSPHRA) decided on 20 August 2019 to uphold appeals from interested parties and to keep the statue on campus.

The university was subsequently informed that a permit would now be issued by the FSPHRA for the dismantling, temporary storage, and relocation of the statue to the War Museum.

“The university’s executive appreciates the endorsement by MEC Mahasa and is satisfied with the findings of the Tribunal Committee, which supports the relocation of the statue. The University Council approved the relocation of the statue on 23 November 2018, after which an extensive process was followed to obtain a permit from the FSPHRA to relocate the statue. The Special Task Team went to great lengths to demonstrate the thoroughness of the public participation process and other supportive steps taken by the university,” said UFS Rector and Vice-Chancellor Prof Francis William Petersen in a statement.

“As there is no precedent for such a public participation process under the current South African law, the Special Task Team was at all times guided by the principles of fairness, inclusivity, and objectivity. It was not an easy process, but the outcome is a significant milestone,” added the professor.

According to the UFS, the findings of the Tribunal Committee include, inter alia, that the university has followed the correct application procedure for the permit, that a proper public participation process was followed that was more comprehensive than required by law, and that no procedural unfairness took place during the public participation process.

The Tribunal Committee furthermore found that the decision by the FSPHRA on 30 April 2019 to issue the permit was correct, and that the Appeals Committee appointed by the FSPHRA erred in its decision to uphold the appeal.

As a pre-condition, the Tribunal Committee also determined that a conservation plan must be prepared by the university in order to address the process of relocating the statue.

The university welcomed the findings of the Tribunal Committee, citing the fact that they were in line with the Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) Report and conservation plan initially submitted to the FSPHRA as part of the application for a permit.

“While we await the issuing of the permit by the FSPHRA, we will now proceed with the necessary arrangements for the relocation of the statue, such as appointing a team for the dismantling, temporary storage, and re-assembly of the statue at the War Museum and appointing a heritage architect to oversee the process. The wishes of President Steyn’s family will be accommodated during the relocation process, as per the findings of the Tribunal Committee,” concluded the professor.

(Compiled by Kaunda Selisho) 

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