While uncle Cyril may have told him to “cancel this thing”, Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, has not, since the controversial R22 million-flag project is in fact not a thing of the past just yet.
The project to erect a 100-metre flag monument, which is meant to foster national unity, was forcibly shelved in May following a public outcry that the flag idea paid no tribute to any of the current issues faced by South Africans.
@1exoticg 22 million Flag story ??♂️ #cancelthisthing#fyp #foryou#itwasajokeright? ♬ original sound – ExoticG
But as reported by EWN, the Democratic Alliance (DA) revealed on Monday that Mthethwa’s written response to a parliamentary question posed by the DA indicated the project is still on the table and his intention stands as firm as his flag monument would have if it had been erected.
Mthethwa said the matter will be referred to Cabinet for further discussion and a final decision.
“Cabinet’s decision to erect a monumental flag and the proposed project review will be referred to Cabinet for further discussion and final decision. This is in light of the fact that one of the key mandates of the department is to promote nation-building and social cohesion.
National symbols, especially the national flag, express the country’s common identity, which is pivotal to building a common national identity and advancing unity,” he adds.
To give credit where it’s due, Mthethwa managed to achieve this goal for unity and social cohesion in that as a collective, we all agreed that it wasn’t the best idea.
Also read: The R22 million giant SA flag – an act of symbolism or of disrespecting money?
According to Briefly, DA’s shadow minister for Sports, Arts and Culture, Tsepo Mhlongo, added that Mthethwa believes it is unnecessary to involve the public in the budget fund reallocations process because it is the infrastructure unit that implements infrastructure projects.
“The budget of R22 million that was allocated for the monumental flag project over two financial years is within the Infrastructure Unit of the department. The Infrastructure Unit is responsible for implementing various infrastructure projects.
There is, therefore, no need for a public participation process to guide the Infrastructure Unit of the department on the re-allocation of funds to various projects,” said Mthethwa.
Mhlongo says the organisation is shocked that the infrastructure unit is not investing in other projects since museums, art galleries and heritage sites are falling apart under Mthethwa.
Should the flag be erected, it is set to stand tall at Freedom Park Heritage Site in Tshwane.
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Picture: Cape {town} Etc gallery
