Vandal's uncle travels from Limpopo to protest

2012-05-29 10:34

Johannesburg - The uncle of one of the men who defaced The Spear a week ago has travelled from Limpopo to Johannesburg to join the march against the work and was one of the first to arrive at the protest on Tuesday.

Stephen Sefofa, uncle of Louis Mabokela who was caught by television cameras smearing black paint across the work depicting President Jacob Zuma, said he came to Johannesburg to support the protest.

"An insult is an insult...let us be one," he said.

Sefofoa was speaking on behalf of his nephew who was with him at the march but deferred to his uncle when questioned by journalists.

Assault

Mabokela laid a charge of assault against the security guard who subdued him in a struggle after he damaged the painting.

Paul Molesiwa, 36, appeared in the Hillbrow Magistrate's Court on Monday in connection with the assault.

In video footage of the incident Molesiwa can be seen head-butting and flipping Mabokela onto the ground where he cable ties his hands behind his back.

Sefofa said he was glad City Press had withdrawn the work. A member of the public, Sipho Mweli, said he came from Mpumalanga to join the protest and to support President Jacob Zuma.

Around his neck he had hung cardboard on which he had written, "Draw your white father naked not our president."

Painting needs to be destroyed

He said the placard was aimed at Brett Murray and he challenged him to draw a white man in the manner he had drawn Zuma.

Elijah Tauraza, also from Mpumalanga, said the painting was intended to belittle Zuma.

"How do you portray the president exposed when you have not seen him that way, even when he grew up?" he said.

The painting by Murray needed to be destroyed, he said.

"Keeping it in any form was an insult to Zuma and South Africans," he said.

The crowd at Zoo Lake numbered several hundred mid-morning. The group was singing liberation songs and dancing to music played over speakers on the back of a truck.

- SAPA