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After 81 years overlooking the greater Cape Town area, the statue of British colonialist and mining magnate Cecil John Rhodes has been removed from its plinth at the University of Cape Town (UCT).

Workmen with a crane carried out the removal. The statue was covered with paper and taken away in a truck. A group of excited students witnessed the event.

The UCT council voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday night to remove the statue to a safe place following a series of student protests. The final say on its fate lies with Heritage Western Cape.

Meanwhile, the Transform Wits committee and a number of students at the university have expressed their happiness that the Rhodes statue at the University of Cape Town was finally being brought down.

“As Transform Wits we are inspired by the relentlessness of our comrades at UCT, who have taken ownership of their spaces and are working hard to decolonialise them, the statue falling is just the first step in truly achieving transformation.” said Simamkele Dlakavu, one of the committee members at the University of Witswatersrand.

The Transform Wits grouping said they came together to fight against challenges that they faced as young black African students
and found that the areas of mobilisation were present at other universities as well. – SABC News