While the Freedom Front Plus was preparing lay charges against the Paul Kruger statue vandals on Tuesday, Cope said there was a need to be creative with the country’s past.

Congress of the People leader Mosiuoa Lekota supported an argument by retired Constitutional Court Judge Albie Sachs that one should be creative with historical monuments and statues to ‘demonstrate the way white domination had been glorified in the past’.

“One function of statues is to kindle an interest in history. Another function of statues is to represent figures who freed us from oppression. Statues of such heroes help us to celebrate their legacy. By juxtaposing statues of yesteryear and today, we highlight the contrast so that ugly history never repeats itself,” Lekota said.

He gave the example Sachs used, of how the Old Fort in Johannesburg was transformed into the Constitutional Court, becoming one of the countrys admired sites of conscience.

The FF Plus took a harder line, saying it would open a criminal case against the Economic Freedom Fighters after they admitted to defacing the statue of Paul Kruger in Church Square, Pretoria, on Monday.

Lekota called for the National Heritage Council to provide direction on the debate.

FF Plus advocate Anton Alberts could not immediately be reached for comment. News 24