For more than a century the statue of Paul Kruger has served as a focal point of political uncertainty
and change in South Africa. Since Paul Kruger’s statue was first brought to Pretoria after its
completion just before the Anglo-Boer War it has been moved from location to location in a process
of political manipulation until its eventual positioning on Church Square in the city centre. However,
in post-apartheid South Africa it seems the political process of forced relocation is to be perpetuated,
but this time as part of the post-colonial reconstruction process. The article aims to investigate the
aspect of memorial complexity and its relationship with the underpinning political change in South
Africa and the prospect of the statue’s relocation sometime in the future. The importance and effect
of a nexus between a statue and its location on the possible relocation of Paul Kruger’s statue, is also
highlighted.
Die standbeeld van Paul Kruger het vir meer as ‘n eeu as die ‘opvanger’ van politieke onsekerheid
en verandering in Suid-Afrika gedien. Sedert die standbeeld voor die Anglo-Boere-oorlog na sy
voltooiing na Suid-Afrika gebring is, is dit as deel van ‘n proses van politieke manipulasie van
standplaas na standplaas verskuif. In post-apartheid Suid-Afrika wil dit voorkom of die proses
van politieke manipulasie geperpetueer gaan word, maar hierdie keer as deel van die proses van
post-koloniale rekonstruksie. Die artikel ondersoek die verskynsel van monumentkompleksiteit in
sy onderliggende verhouding met politieke verandering in Suid-Afrika. Die ondersoek word met
spesiale verwysing na Paul Kruger se standbeeld se moontlik hervestiging in die toekoms gedoen.
Die belangrikheid van ‘n nexus tussen ‘n standbeeld en sy plasing word in die artikel beklemtoon en
die effek wat dit moontlik op die moontlike herplasing van Paul Kruger se standbeeld mag uitoefen.
