South African President Jacob Zuma on Monday unveiled a 9 metre high bronze plated statue of Nelson Mandela at the Union Buildings in Pretoria just a day after Nelson Mandela was laid to rest in Qunu.
In the statue, Madiba is smiling, with outstretched arms facing over the city of Pretoria.
"We are happy that we are here. You will notice that in all the statues that have been made of Madiba, he is raising his fist and at times stretching it. That derives from the slogan of the ANC," Zuma said. "This one is different from many. He is stretching out his hands. He is embracing the whole nation. You shouldn't say this is not Madiba because we know him with his one raised hand."
In the statue, Madiba is smiling, with outstretched arms facing over the city of Pretoria.
"We are happy that we are here. You will notice that in all the statues that have been made of Madiba, he is raising his fist and at times stretching it. That derives from the slogan of the ANC," Zuma said. "This one is different from many. He is stretching out his hands. He is embracing the whole nation. You shouldn't say this is not Madiba because we know him with his one raised hand."
The R8-million statue was created by South African sculptors Andre Prinsloo and Ruhan Janse van Vuuren.
The unveiling was slightly delayed because Zuma travelled back from Qunu in the Eastern Cape on Monday morning.