After a decade-long delay, the sod-turning ceremony for the construction of the 1860 monument to commemorate the arrival of indentured Indians in South Africa, will take place on Thursday.
November 16 will mark the 165th anniversary since the first group of Indians landed in Durban aboard the SS Truro from Madras, to work in the sugar cane plantation of the then Port-Natal in 1860.
In a statement on Monday, the KZN MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture, Mntomuhle Khawula, said they were pleased to put an end to an era of speculations, uncertainty and delays regarding the construction of the monument.
“Following a decade-long delay, the project for the erection of the monument is finally set to take off thanks to the respectful, constructive and progressive engagements from all stakeholders and interested parties that yielded positive results. The construction of the monument carries historic significance and reverence to the Indian community that landed on our shores in 1860,” it read.
According to the statement, Khawula, who is mandated by KZN Premier, Thamsanqa Ntuli, to implement the province’s mandate of realising social cohesion through sport, arts and culture, will lead the sod-turning ceremony and introduce the contractor for the construction at the event set to take place at the UShaka Marine Promenade (next to Addington Hospital) on Thursday, between 9am and 11am.
Last month, the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) held a public meeting at the 1860 Heritage Centre, to discuss the progress of the monument and to find a resolution to the objections raised to the bell tower being part of the monument.
The original design concept proposed was an arch of unity with a bell tower.
The meeting was chaired by Dr Thobile Sifunda, the head of department for the Departments of Sports, Arts and Culture in KZN, and was attended by various stakeholders, including civic and religious organisations, political parties and community activists.
After a heated debate about the bell tower, a vote was taken - by a show of hands. It was resolved that the bell would not be included in the design.
Instead a bronze sculpture of an indentured couple with a child would be placed on a plinth and included as part of the original arch of unity design concept.