Madiba, Tutu facelift cost City of Cape Town R1 million

The iconic Madiba en Tata Tutu murals got a facelift. Photo: Leon Lestrade/ANA

The iconic Madiba en Tata Tutu murals got a facelift. Photo: Leon Lestrade/ANA

Published Jun 29, 2022

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Cape Town - The iconic Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu murals, which are brightly embellished on the windows of the towering Civic Centre in Cape Town, received a dramatic facelift which cost taxpayers roughly around R1 million.

The restoration of the 12-floor-high murals was officially completed on Tuesday.

As depicted in the murals, former president Mandela’s shirt contains images representing some of the city’s most iconic features, including Bo Kaap, penguins at Boulders Beach, Table Mountain, a minstrel at the Kaapse Klopse, and the King Protea. Tutu’s shirt is marked with imagery that invokes the anti-apartheid struggle.

When asked, Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis told Weekend Argus the project cost ratepayers a whopping R1m.

“This includes the purchase of the rights to the images, removal of old images and replacement,” Hill-Lewis said.

“A massive job! When we started the process, we discovered the City had never actually bought the rights to the images - we then had to track down the artist who now lives in rural Canada and agree on a price with him.”

The lobby group Stop CoCT said they want a less opaque approach from Hill-Lewis.

“We as ratepayers would like to see a cost breakdown of how that million was spent,” founder Sandra Dickson said.

“However, as the Civic Centre belongs to the public and should be well maintained, this is a necessary expense.”

Weekend Argus