Following a public outcry from all corners of the country against the erection of a 100-metre high monumental flag at the Freedom Park in Pretoria which would have cost the country R22 million, Arts and Culture minister, Nathi Mthethwa has put the matter under review.
In a statement released by the Arts and Culture department this morning, Mthethwa said he has followed and taken note of public discourse that has unfolded in respect of the envisaged Monumental Flag. He said the diversity of voices around this heritage project is a welcome celebration of SA’s vibrant constitutional democracy and the freedoms that must be upheld beyond posterity.
They said it also bodes well for one of the pillars of social cohesion which is an active citizenry.
In upholding this ethos and the inalienable rights of citizens to be heard, the department stated that Mthethwa has directed his department to review the process related to the Monumental Flag in its totality.
“It does so informed by national aspirations and international best practice which appreciates that heritage is among the bedrock of value systems that must drive national pride, social cohesiveness and unity,” they said.
They added that in efforts to transform the cultural and heritage landscape of our democratic society, the Department will continue to be driven by the pursuit of the socio-economic dividend for the country as well as the historical, symbolic, spiritual and aesthetic values and identity of a democratic South Africa and its people.
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The 22 million giant SA flag – An act of symbolism or of disrespecting money?
Picture: Cape Town ETC
