Rebel artist group Xcollektiv has taken responsibility for placing fake poo on the head of a statue of former president FW de Klerk at the V&A Waterfront.
De Klerk's image is the latest of three South African figures to be defaced in the city centre recently.
Cecil John Rhodes’ statue in the Company’s Garden and that of former prime minister Jan Smuts in Adderley Street were defaced with faeces in October as part of the group’s “statement”.
On its Facebook page, the group explains: “This history celebrates former state president, FW de Klerk, who is complicit in crimes against humanity, including torture, murder and assassination; lying by omission and under oath at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission; supporting the machinations and being a functionary of the apartheid state; and for his continuing attempts to influence policy development through his involvement with the Global Leadership Foundation.”
The group told the Cape Times on Tuesday that they were calling for the statues to either be removed or contextualised.
“These statues as they stand not only celebrate these individuals as ‘great men’ but through omission mask out the colonial and apartheid-era crimes of these individuals,” the group said.
The collective said the "faeces" was painted clay, glued to the statues, but could be removed.
V&A Waterfront spokesman, Donald Kau, said: “The incident took place last week. It’s an act of vandalism and we are stepping up visibility of our security personnel around this and other public spaces within the precinct.”