This, after members of the Free State Legislature rejected the motion following a heated debate in the provincial legislature on Tuesday. 

The motion submitted by the EFF, according to their provincial chairperson. Mandisa Makesini, sought to remove all so-called colonial symbols around the legislature's premises and in other parts of Bloemfontein. 

She told the House that after 25 years of democracy none of the artefacts at the Fourth Raadsaal, where legislative decisions are made in the Free State, resemble the diversity of the province nor the role played by several black struggle stalwarts in the fight against the Apartheid regime. 

Makeseni further expressed the party's concerns about the multimillion-rand Nelson Mandela's statue at Naval Hill. She told Speaker Zanele Sifuba and the rest of the House that Mandela's statue needs to be relocated to a place that will make it more visible and accessible to residents.

The Freedom Front Plus rejected the motion stating that it excludes certain cultural groups and is an attack on certain racial groups. The party, however, proposed that the motion be amended in a way that will see the erection of new statues without removing the ones that already exist.

The DA, on the other hand, stated that the province and the country at large have bigger socio-economic issues that urgently need to be addressed and that the focus of the House and the government should be on measures aimed at addressing the scourge of poverty and unemployment among others.

Representing the party that holds majority seats, the ANC's Thabo Meeko said the motion should rather be directed to relevant Portfolio Committees for further discussions and be opened for public participation.

Following the debate, Sifuba, however, ruled that members vote on the motion, which saw the EFF receiving no support.

OFM News