THE commission to construct a new, massive R3.5 million statue of King Shaka has been awarded to another top KZN artist, Peter Hall.
This is to replace the one by Andries Botha that was removed from King Shaka International Airport after complaints by the Zulu royal family that it resembled a “herd boy”.
The artist confirmed to the Tribune yesterday that he had been informed the job was his, although the contractual stipulations were still to be finalised.
The statue will be cast by Kim Goodwin, at the Goodwin foundry, where Botha’s R3m King Shaka was executed.
Premier Zweli Mkhize’s spokesman Ndabe Sibiya confirmed last night that Hall had got the nod.
“The panel of academics and the royal household were quite impressed with his work, but the premier will make an announcement at an appropriate time.”
The confirmation comes as Botha’s legal team is preparing to take the eThekwini municipality to court over its decision to halt construction on his trio of elephants in Warwick Triangle.
Although he was invited to be part of a team involved in designing and executing a replacement King Shaka, Botha declined in a letter addressed to the premier of KZN, Dr Zweli Mkhize, earlier this year.
“I told the premier I did not think my presence would in any way help facilitate the process he was trying to engineer, due to the complexity of political perceptions of the artwork, and notions of ownership and nationalisation,” he told the Tribune.
Several months ago Hall, who also designed a 3.3m-high statue of King Dinuzulu, expressed his disappointment in an interview with the Tribune that he was not one of four artists selected to produce impressions for the new statue, following the request for submissions by the Office of the Premier and Zulu royal family.
Hall said he had prepared a sketch and maquette showing King Shaka standing on a raised plinth. “He is in a victorious pose with his spear upraised.”
Yesterday Hall said he had subsequently prepared further sketches. The one that won him the contract shows King Shaka standing on a series of raised shields, wearing a towering blue crane feather reserved for someone of his stature.
“There was no specific brief,” Hall maintained, “but once the Premier and the princes saw the sketch they indicated what they liked, and made suggestions. I had three meetings with them to ensure that the depiction is historically accurate in terms of their interpretation.
“It shows him as being not so much the warrior king, as a statesman and negotiator of great stature. I had used a short stabbing spear, but they preferred him to hold the long spear symbolic of his authority as king.”
Meanwhile, the office of the premier has been roundly criticised for wasting public funds. National chairwoman of the ACDP, Jo Ann Downs, was scathing of what she termed “wasteful expenditure” on the statue.
“The waste of money is just ridiculous. If they had only consulted with his Majesty beforehand… Obviously he has a vested interest in it, and they could have given Andries Botha a proper brief and he could have done it accordingly. Now they’ve done it, spent all the money and have to pay somebody else. If you think about it, that represents 60 houses.”
DA caucus leader Sizwe Mchunu, who sits on the Royal Household Portfolio Committee, said millions had already been spent on an event to unveil the statue, an occasion addressed by President Jacob Zuma that attracted significant international media attention.
“All of a sudden the statue was changed. It therefore appears as money wasted. Our concern still remains that after such a lot of money was spent, they were wishy-washy in terms of why it had to be changed. This money could have been better spent…”
Artist Bernice Stott, convener of the recent seminar against censorship of the arts, titled “Sit Down and Shut Up”, expressed grave reservations. “Hall is an experienced artist who would produce a technically skilful piece of work, but I call into question any artist attempting to replace such a controversial artwork depicting King Shaka and all he symbolises.”
Stott said Hall’s freedom of artistic expression would be compromised because he would be expected to deliver “a militaristic, specifically tailored image of King Shaka”.
Greg Streak, an artist with an international reputation that rivals Botha’s own, said he believed the second statue was also headed for disaster.
“How is it possible to move ahead since there has been no resolution on Botha’s disputed statue?
“How can the Premier’s Office say four artists have been shortlisted, when Hall has already been told the commission is his? Are they yet again paying only lip service to democratic processes?”
- Sunday Tribune