Despite assurances by the Ekurhuleni Metro that the war memorial in Third Street will be restored, major repairs to the heritage site are yet to take place.
In October, the metro stated that the memorial will be upgraded, with the job expected to be complete by the end of May.
With this month fast approaching, however, little has been done.
Spokesman for the metro, Themba Gadebe, says a contractor has sealed the dome and removed the vandalised copper from it.
According to him, the dome was sealed with non-recyclable material to prevent theft.
It is believed the copper is stored at the metro’s Energy Department in Springs.
The metro aims to utilise the war memorial, which is a heritage site protected under the National Heritage Resources Act, 25 of 1999, as a focal point for future remembrance events.
The Addie reported in February (‘Memorial to be fixed’) how the metro’s Heritage Division is collating all names on the plaques that were stolen and vandalised.
The plaques will be be made from granite, to prevent theft.
Gadebe says the names of all the war heroes will be sandblasted onto the granite, and to try and keep it similar to the original plaques, they will be using the same font and style.
