JUST a week after the constitutional court ordered that his killer Janusz Walus be released on parole, the Hani family and the City of Ekurhuleni learnt with shock that the Chris Hani Memorial Site at the Thomas Nkobi Cemetery in Boksburg had been vandalised.
Ekurhuleni spokesman Zweli Dlamini said in a statement: “The vandalism to the ‘Four Pillars of the ANC struggle’ portion of the facility and the Information Centre and kiosk was discovered by municipal officials when they reported for duty this morning.
“The lighting system of the facility was removed and one of the pillars was badly damaged. There was also a break-in at the Information Centre which is situated along the Walk of Remembrance linking the Wall of Remembrance to the Chris Hani Memorial.”
The facility was officially opened by former President Jacob Zuma in 2015.
Dlamini said: “What makes the situation even more puzzling is the timing of the incident considering the recent judgment by the Constitutional Court on the case.
“Such incidents are extremely regrettable. The city is doing its best to preserve its rich heritage, but there seem to be some people out there who are hell-bent on ensuring this does not happen.
“Our people should take pride in such facilities instead of destroying them,” Dlamini said.
Another shocker was that a few years ago, Hani’s grave was shot at, in an incident that caused a major public outcry.
Dlamini said the city wants to make it clear that no amount of sabotage, theft or vandalism can erase the contribution stalwarts such Hani, who is indeed a free person of the City of Ekurhuleni, played in the liberation struggle of this country.
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Hani was assassinated on April 10, 1993, outside his house in Dawn Park.
The City of Ekurhuleni conferred the Freedom of the City to Chris Hani posthumously in November 2006, and declared April, the month he died, Chris Hani Month. Hani’s grave is a National Heritage Site.
“The city is assessing the facility to determine the amount of damage. The matter has also been reported to the EMPD for further investigation,” added Dlamini.
