Memorial complexity and political change: Paul Kruger’s statue’s political travels through space and time

Abstract

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.