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Public consultation on MT Steyn statue begins with exhibition

16 August 2018

Public consultation on MT Steyn statue begins with exhibition 8 July 2018 Introduction In line with the UFS Strategic Plan 2018-2022 and the Integrated Transformation Plan (ITP), the University of the Free State (UFS) strives to distinguish itself as an institution that will pursue the delivery of excellent quality graduates and knowledge of the region, the continent, and the globe through academic excellence, diversity, inclusivity, and through innovative and transformative thought. The ITP shows the commitment of the UFS to widen the scope and radically accelerate transformation at the university. One of the work streams of the ITP is concerned with Names, Symbols, and Spaces. Topical at the moment is the review of the MT Steyn statue, which is situated in front of the Main Building on the Bloemfontein Campus. A public exhibition during the Vrystaat Arts Festival ensured that the review process and the statue itself remains the topic of informed intellectual conversations during the time allotted for public consultation regarding this statue. What is the university doing? Public exhibition to keep the MT Steyn statue topical To contribute to the special task team’s purpose of keeping the statue topical while its current position is under review, and to demonstrate the start of the public participation process, an exhibition consisting of a reflective triangular column has been erected in front of the statue during June/July 2018 that will effectively edit the statue out of its power position if viewed from the east along the main axis from the City of Bloemfontein. Other components are a suggestion box in which comments about the position of the statue can be deposited, and a group of encircling concrete benches. To elevate engagement and solicit comments from the university community, visitors to the campus, and other interested parties, questions appear on the smooth boards of the reflective column, each linked to its own unique QR Code with audio-format questions (see related questions below). Send your email responses to news@ufs.ac.za. Why are we doing this? Read more about the reasons the UFS is undertaking this step in the abridged Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA). What is a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA)? A Heritage Impact Assessment is a study to determine the impact of a proposed development on the cultural-heritage value of a property and to recommend an overall approach to the conservation of the heritage resource. In other words, the main aim is to promote heritage conservation—a meticulous process comprising prescribed steps. The HIA of the MT Steyn statue included the following: Surveying, identifying, and independently analysing the heritage issues relating to the statue in its immediate and broader physical context. Assessing the significance of the MT Steyn statue as a cultural resource as set out in Section 6(2) or prescribed under Section 7 of the NHRA (National Heritage Resources Act). Assessing the impact on the heritage resource based on the four possible modes of intervention at the statue, namely: avoidance, removal, relocation or re-interpretation, or some combination thereof. Assessing the sustainable heritage significance and social benefits of the proposed interventions. What is the significance of the site where the MT Steyn statue is situated? The MT Steyn statue is situated in front of the Main Building on the Bloemfontein Campus of the UFS. The building was completed in 1909 and is a registered provincial heritage site. The statue forms part of the ‘Presidentsplein’ that was dedicated/completed in 1984. However, the name chosen to commemorate both Presidents MT Steyn and CR Swart (removed after the student protests during February 2016) never took hold, and the open space is known as the ‘Rooiplein’ or ‘Red Square’. Why is an HIA needed for the President Steyn statue? Besides being situated on a registered provincial heritage site, the statue can be considered as public art and a monument celebrating the life and work of MT Steyn – it is also one of the finest sculptures produced by Anton van Wouw. However, over time, statues can lose their initial meaning and can become associated with cultural and political issues. In the case of Steyn, many current students associate him with negative concepts such as colonialism, institutionalised racism, and white supremacy, among others. Therefore, we should consider a suitable conservation plan with strategies to either retain, remove, relocate, or re-interpret the statue and assess the heritage impact associated with each of these intervention options. Both the MT Steyn statue and the site where it is situated are bound by certain heritage considerations.	A floor-plan of the public participation exhibition around the statue. History of MT Steyn Read more about who MT Steyn was here: http://bit.ly/WhoWasMTSteyn History of the statue Learn more about why the statue was erected by reading this snippet from the HIA: http://bit.ly/MTSteynStatueHist


*Artist's rendition of the Reflective Column in place*
More articles: 8 July 2018: Statement: Public participation process regarding MT Steyn statue resumes 30 May 2018: Future of MT Steyn statue discussed during Faculty of The Humanities panel 29 May 2018: Africa Day Memorial Lecture explores future of statues 23 April 2018: Decision of FSPHRA regarding possible covering of the MT Steyn statue 13 April 2018: Submissions received regarding the covering of the MT Steyn statue 9 April 2018: Call for submissions for covering of the MT Steyn statue: Deadline extended to 11 April 2018 August 2016: Call for campus review and participation into renaming and renewal of statues, signs, and symbols on UFS campuses April 2015: Discourse on statues and symbols puts transformation questions in the spotlight
Questions To elevate engagement and solicit comments from the university community, visitors to the campus, and other interested parties, the following questions appear on the smooth boards of the reflective column, each linked to its own unique QR Code with audio-format questions (see questions below). Send your email responses to news@ufs.ac.za.

Who was President Marthinus Theunis Steyn?

Why is the statue standing here?

How is the statue connected to the UFS?

Is this statue still relevant in the current socio-political context?

What is the challenge of the statue's current position, particularly its prominence in the transforming socio-political milieu?

Should the statue stay where it is, and if not, what alternative space will serve the MT Steyn statue's heritage narrative best?

What was the role of MT Steyn in the South African War?

Why does your opinion matter?

How does participating in this consultation make you feel?

News Archive

Academics should strive to work with students towards publishing, says NRF-rated researcher

2017-07-17

Dr Rodwell Makombe, Y-gegradeerde navorser.
Foto: Thabo Kessah

“The National Research Foundation (NRF) is a prestigious research institution and to be recognised by such an institution means that my work is worthwhile. This alone motivates me to do more research.” This is how Dr Rodwell Makombe reflected on his recent recognition as an NRF-rated researcher – one of the few on the Qwaqwa Campus. He is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of English at the University of the Free State’s Qwaqwa Campus.

“This recognition is indeed an important milestone in my research career. It means that my efforts as a researcher are recognised and appreciated. The financial research incentive will enable me to engage in more research, attend conferences, and so forth,” he said.

Comparing research in the Humanities and Sciences
Dr Makombe’s research area is broadly postcolonial African literature, but he is particularly interested in postcolonial literatures and resistance cultures. He is currently working on a book project entitled Visual Cultures of the Afromontane.

When asked what he thought about Natural Sciences being in the lead as far as research is concerned, he said that this is mainly caused by funding opportunities.

“It means that my efforts as a
researcher are recognised and
appreciated.”

“It is easier to access funding for research in the Natural Sciences than for the Humanities. Researchers in the Humanities usually do research without any form of funding. However, there are also differences in the way research is done in the Sciences than in the Humanities. Science researchers tend to work together on different projects, which make it easier for them to have their names on publications, no matter how small their contribution. This is also connected to the issue of funding,” he added.

He continued: “Since research in the Humanities is largely unfunded, it is difficult for researchers to establish research groups. Another issue is that most academics in the Humanities do not necessarily teach modules within their research interests. Therefore, they tend to be overloaded with work as they have to do research in one area and teach in another area.”

NRF-rating and funding
For Dr Makombe, the solution to this challenge lies in academics in the Humanities working towards publishing with their students. “This way,” he said, “both the students and the academics will get publications that will help them to get NRF-rating and other forms of research funding. Modules in the Humanities need to be aligned to academics’ research interests to avoid mismatches between teaching and research.”

He previously worked at the University of Fort Hare and the Durban University of Technology and has published several articles in both local and international journals.

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