The City of Tshwane will not bow to the Economic Freedom Front nor to Afrikaans singer Sunette Bridges on the fate of the city’s statues‚ it said in a statement.

 “Plans are afoot to host progressive‚ constructive consultation processes with all relevant stakeholders to reach an amicable solution to the current impasse‚” said city spokesperson Lebogang Matji.

Bridges said that a representative from the mayor’s office accepted the petition‚ signed by 12‚000 people‚ this morning. However the City of Tshwane has denied receipt of it.

“The office of the Executive Mayor never received any memorandum from Sunette Bridges‚” said the statement. It said the mayor is currently abroad on business and the office did not authorised anyone to receive the memorandum.

The City of Tshwane has called the protest illegal‚ as it did not comply with the National gatherings Act‚ and that the group had not applied to host the event.

Earlier today‚ Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa also called for consultation on the defacing and violent removal of colonial statues.

Saying that his department had not yet received any formal application for the removal of any statue in any part of the country‚ he said in a statement: “As government we encourage citizen participation in efforts to find an amicable resolution to this matter through dialogue and negotiation”.

Mthethwa said the National Heritage Resources Act required technical and consultative processes to be followed in the case of a removal and or relocation of a statue.

“As a result‚ it is advisable that a consultative process be initiated at the earliest opportunity… The entity or community that wants to move or remove the statue or monument will need to undertake a 30 day public consultation process….”

Diverse public voices should be heard‚ he said.

“Heritage sites and national monuments have cultural significance and value because of their importance to a community in revealing a pattern of South Africa’s history. They demonstrate a particular aspect or time of South Africa’s natural or cultural places or objects. Also‚ they may hold strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social‚ cultural or spiritual reasons.

 “…As a Government that promotes a transformative national agenda‚ we also accept that the past cannot and should not be completely wiped off. This is to avoid repeating the same mistakes out of ignorance of what has happened before. It is for this reason that as part of transformation‚ the diverse voices of all citizens of this country must be allowed to express themselves but guided by the law in our efforts to alter the national heritage landscape.”

The government’s attitude and policy to all heritage sites including statues of former colonial heroes like Cecil John Rhodes and Paul Kruger‚ among others‚ is based on a national policy of reconciliation‚ nation building and social cohesion‚ he said.

 “We neither support nor encourage the defamation or violent removal of any statue because we do not encourage people to take the law into their own hands. In fact‚ we cannot allow anarchy and demagogues to play on the feelings of the people by whooping up emotions on this issue.”

Consultation and reconciliation‚ while government policy‚ he said‚ “should not be mistaken for capitulation. The debate around this is a most welcome development as it results in deepening knowledge and understanding about the history of this country”.