1. History

2. Controversy

3. References

The Statue of Paul Kruger ({{lang-af|Krugerstandbeeld}}) is a bronze sculpture located in Church Square in Pretoria, South Africa. The statue depicts Paul Kruger, the Boer political and military leader and President of the South African Republic from 1883 to 1900, and four unnamed Boer soldiers. The Statue of Paul Kruger was sculpted in 1896 and was installed in its current location in Church Square in 1954.^[1]

History

The statue was first sculpted in 1896 by Anton Van Wouw following a commission by Sammy Marks, an industrialist who made his fortune in the South African Republic, who was an enthusiastic supporter of President Paul Kruger. The statue was first installed at Prince's Park and was then moved to a location outside Pretoria railway station. The statue portrays Paul Kruger wearing a top hat and presidential sash with a cane on a plinth.^[2] Along with Paul Kruger, the sculpture has four unnamed Boer soldiers at the corners below the main plinth.^[3] In 1956, the statue was moved to its current location at Church Square with a new pedestal and was unveiled there by Daniel François Malan.^[1]

Controversy

Following the end of apartheid in South Africa, there had been calls for the removal of the statue from its location due to it being viewed as an "icon of apartheid" by some African National Congress activists.^[4] In 2015, following the Rhodes Must Fall campaign in Cape Town, the statue of Paul Kruger was vandalized with green paint thrown on it. The Economic Freedom Fighters initially claimed responsibility but later retracted this when the City of Tshwane stated its intent to open a criminal case of malicious damage against the perpetrators.^[5] Following the vandalism and a pledge by the EFF to destroy the statue,^[6] numerous people voiced support for the statue. Sunette Bridges chained herself to the statue to prevent further damage^[3][4] with Afrikaners in military uniforms starting to guard the statue.^[7] A rally also took place next to the statue requesting it to be left alone as part of South Africa's cultural history. This ended with Steve Hofmeyr singing the former national anthem of South Africa, "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika".^[8] The statue has subsequently been ringed by 1.5m high fencing and is not directly accessible to the public.

References

• Subhuman (italian band)
• Subhumans (UK band)
• Subiaco Abbey
• Subiaco Abbey and Academy
• Subiaco Cassinese Benedictine Congregation
• Subiaco Congregation
• Subiaco Creek
• Subiaco, Italy
• Subiaco Lions 2007 season
• Subiaco Redevelopment Authority
• Subiaco Theatre Centre
• Subia language
• Subi Bakiri Stadium
• Subic Bay Freeport
• Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority
• Subic Broadcasting Corporation
• Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway
• Subic Grande Island
• Subic noble family
• Subic Spanish gate
• Subic-Tipo Expressway
• Subijana de Alava
• Subijana de Álava
• Subi language
• Subi language (Solomon Islands)