Statue of the ‘child hero’ still missing

POLOKWANE – There is still no sign of the “unknown child hero” statue that was removed from the Pietersburg concentration camp almost two months ago.

The statue, by famous sculptor Jo Roos, was stolen from the camp and may have been sold as scrap metal. Municipal councillor, Johan Willemse, who is also an Afrikaans culture leader and a member of the VryheidsFront Plus, said the camp was part of the history of the Afrikaans people in the city, and the theft of the statue was a violation of the Afrikaans heritage.

Willemse said the municipality should be held responsible for the theft. “The municipality is responsible for sites like the camp and cemeteries in the city and must be held responsible if anything happens under their watch,” he said.

Municipal spokesperson, Malesela Maubane, said the case of the missing statue had been reported to the police and would be investigated by them.

Polokwane police spokesperson, WO Lesiba Ramoshaba said cemeteries were often easy pickings for criminals, citing the cemetery in Dahl Street as an example. He said handbags and wallets had often been found in the cemetery.

“Criminals make use of these quiet, open areas to ransack the handbags and wallets before dumping them. Residents are urged to report any suspicious activities to the nearest police station,” he advised