Voortrekker Monument: Landmark under threat

While the Voortrekker Monument remains one of the biggest tourist attractions in the capital with thousands of visitors a month, many people are unaware that the iconic building is under threat.

Fence falling apart

The Citizen drove around the property of the monument and found that the fence protecting the property was rusted, patched and damaged. Some sections of the fence were reinforced with tree branches while others were either damaged or missing.

The pylon on the property also had steel bars missing.

Petition

Spokesperson for the Voortrekker Monument, Gerhard Pretorius, recently launched a petition to force the City of Tshwane to help replace the flimsy fences around the monument property.

“The Voortrekker Monument is asking for 70 000 people to sign the petition for every rand we had to spend this year to keep the monument’s doors open,” he said.

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In the petition, the monument asked the Tshwane Metro Police and mounted unit to set up a satellite office on the site and offered to provide the land free of charge. Pretorius said upgrade submissions to reinstate the fences on the borders of the monument have been rejected for the past three years.

“We sit on a 341-hectare farm. The number one requirement for safety on a farm is boundary wires. If the border wires are not up to standard, as they aren’t now, it creates an enormous security risk for everyone who visits the Voortrekker Monument.”

Security measures

He said various security measures had been put in place like dog patrols on the site, rangers patrolling the nature reserve area, horse patrols in the field and camera systems to safeguard the monument.

“We just want better cooperation with the metro council because it’s about equal treatment where taxpayers’ money should also help keep our heritage and people safe,” he said.

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Pretorius said the monument was without electricity for seven days due to cable theft between March and April. It has also had to incur more than R70 000 in fuel costs for generators to keep the doors open.

The MMC for corporate and shared services, councillor Kingsley Wakelin, said the city would “take hands” with the monument in the fight against crime.

“I’m deeply concerned about the sharp increase of crime in and around the Voortrekker Monument. It’s one of the city’s most prominent landmarks and is visited and enjoyed by local and international visitors.

“However, over the past few years, the monument has experienced an increase in crime and vandalism, which has threatened the safety of employees, visitors, and the integrity of the monument itself,” said Wakelin.