PICS: Jan a poster boy for change?

Published Mar 26, 2015

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Cape Town - In a show of solidarity with the UCT students campaigning for the removal of a statue of Cecil John Rhodes, human rights activist Sulyman Stellenboom embarked on a campaign of his own on Wednesday.

He spent the morning adorning several of Cape Town’s statues with placards declaring his distaste of the subjects’ past exploits.

On Jan Smuts the placard read: “I’ve got your land. So what?” while General Louis Botha’s proclaimed: “I gave you a government. So What?

“These weren’t good people,” Stellenboom said. “It was a skelm government. They stole our land.”

Last year on Heritage Day, Stellenboom covered several statues with black bags.

He’s not interested in seeing them moved but rather destroyed.

“We must have a funeral for these statues and replace them with our Struggle heroes.”

He also placed banners on Jan van Riebeeck and his wife, Maria (née Maria de la Queillerie), reading respectively: “I stole your land. So What?” and “He raped your women. So What?”

Stellenboom said he supported the UCT students 100 percent and was also mobilising schools in Mitchells Plain to support the removal of colonial statues.

“One guy who watched me put the signs up called me an idiot, but I’m trying to create a platform where people can discuss these issues.

“It might look wrong but I feel like I’m doing the right thing.”

Cape Argus

* PICTURES BY DAVID RITCHIE

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