East London police have recovered pieces of the stolen statue symbolising the 1985 Duncan Village massacre from a local scrapyard.
The controversial artwork was stolen on Wednesday night near Kusile Comprehensive School.
Community leader and community policing forum chair Tembisa Beula confirmed the latest development on Friday.
“While we were having a meeting at the office with the Duncan Village station commander today [Friday], two police officers from Fleet Street police station arrived to report that the statue had been found at a scrap yard near Beaconsfield and a nearby garage,” she said.
“The suspects who went to sell it ran away.
“They had broken it into pieces, likely to sell it piecemeal.
“They will review the footage to see if they can gather crucial information.”
Beula added: “We’d like to thank the Daily Dispatch for publishing the article, as it seems to have brought the issue to the public’s attention. I also shared the incident on social media to ensure the statue’s recovery as soon as possible.”
The Dispatch had reported on its website on Thursday about the shocking theft of the statue.
The memorial, unveiled by former president Thabo Mbeki in 2008, had previously been vandalised, with its spear stolen.
The statue’s design had initially sparked controversy, with some residents saying it resembled a Zulu warrior, possibly even Shaka Zulu, due to the depiction of a warrior carrying a spear and shield.
Beula emphasised that the theft was not a result of community dissatisfaction with the statue.
Many residents had instead proposed a statue depicting a woman with a stone in her hand and a baby on her back, symbolising the young people who had used stones to defend themselves and the baby killed by teargas during the 1985 clashes.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Siphokazi Mawisa confirmed that police had recovered the pieces of the statue.
No case has been opened in connection with the stolen statue.
“This morning [Friday] police were alerted by the scrap yard owner about some parts of the statue that were taken to his premises, ” Mawisa said.
“On arrival, police found the parts of the statue, which were confiscated.
“No arrest has been made, as the suspect fled before the arrival of the police.”
Daily Dispatch
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