The University of the Free State Rector and Vice-Chancellor,  Francis Petersen, says the university now awaits a decision by the Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, as after the removal of the statue was appealed by two private entities. 

Briefing the media on the university’s state of affairs as the year draws to an end, Petersen revealed that a process that was expected to take a few weeks has dragged on for more than nine months due to logistics by the Free State Heritage Resource Authority over the university’s application for a permit. 

He says after reaching an agreement with the university Council and the Steyn family about the removal of the statue, it was decided that the statue will be relocated to the Bloemfontein War Museum. He says the process to obtain an application from the Authority has, however, taken more time than anticipated as the Heritage Authority at some point mistakenly said the UFS did not comply with the National Environmental Management Act; and at another point said the UFS had to make a second application for the statue to be erected at the museum.

Once it was concluded that the application of the second permit lies with the War Museum, it was discovered that there are parties who appealed the relocation of the statue - stating that the decision by the university to relocate it excludes certain cultural groups and is an attack on a certain racial groups.

The decision to relocate the statue was officially announced by Petersen last year in November after the Council at the University resolved to relocate the statue to a place off-campus.

This as the statue has in the past years has drawn much controversy with students vandalising it during the height of #FeesMustFall protests, calling for its removal from campus.

The university’s Student Representative Council (SRC) and other organisations have for years alleged that the statue does not represent the values of the university and demanded that it be removed.

Many students have also stated that the statue is a pre-Apartheid artifact, which is a painful reminder of Apartheid sins and has no place in a democratic South Africa.

Steyn’s descendants remain members of the Bloemfontein society with many of them among the university’s alumni.

He was the sixth and last president of the then independent Orange Free State from 1896 to 1902.

Petersen has expressed his disappointment with the prolonged process by the Heritage Council and appealed to all students to be patient and respect the process. 

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