CAPE TOWN - Under - fire DA Saldanha Bay Mayor Marius Koen has blamed his staff for the controversial monument honouring him as the first mayor to complete a full term in office, saying it was constructed without his knowledge.
The monument, completed with a memorial plaque marking Koen’s 5-year-term in office, has since been removed following mounting pressure from activists and opposition parties.
It was constructed at the town’s historic Hoedjieskop museum.
“The construction and unveiling of the Beacon of Hope along with the plaque to honour my 5-year term in office was an initiative by some of my support staff, unbeknownst to me.
“I agree that dedicating this artwork to a public representative for whatever reason was an ill-conceived idea and as such the plaque was removed. The Beacon of Hope, however, plays an important role in paying homage to the fisher communities of the region and to the resilience of the residents in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequences thereof.”
He said the Beacon was constructed from recycled products and natural resources, and no public funds were used.
It is not the first time Koen has been embroiled in controversy.
Earlier this year, he was taken to task after he allegedly misrepresented his qualifications. The DA has yet to make an announcement on its investigation following a probe into the legitimacy of Koen’s MBA qualification he is said to have achieved at Hull University in 1999. The party did not respond to requests for comment about this saga. Koen had denied he had misrepresented his qualifications.
About the monument, DA provincial leader Albert Fritz said:
“This is not in line with the way the DA does things and although this is a municipal matter, we have asked the regional executive to engage the sitting mayor on the matter and can confirm the plaque was removed.”
Vernon Vraagom, of the Gerald Stoffberg Cultural Village Committee, said despite raising concerns that they were not comfortable with the plaque on grounds of the Klippiesdorp heritage, the municipality went ahead and constructed it.
“We were approached by the communications department of the municipality that sits in the mayor's office. What we said at the committee is, we do not have a problem if they erect a statue of hope. But we are not comfortable in putting a name to that. I was the one who had a problem with that because he has no affiliation to my heritage. So, they decided to go ahead in spite of how the committee feels,” he said.
Another committee member, Terrance Ackers, said they hope to meet with the municipality to resolve the matter.
EFF provincial chairperson, Melikhaya Xego, said it was not surprising that Koen and the DA-led municipality would use state resources in the form of staff, invitation of law enforcement, officials, using heritage grounds, banners etc.
“We are not surprised by this self-supremacy, and white male domination is a creed in the Western Cape DA-led government. It is clear to us that the erection of this monument to praise Koen is an extension of that colonial and apartheid reasoning. It cannot be that in 2021, white supremacy is glorified unabated.’’
Cape Times