Hotel group funds controversial 'Candle of Hope'
By Rowan Philip
A massive monument to Nelson Mandela has been mysteriously erected in Sandton, in what some say is a gesture of new business confidence in South Africa's future.

Featuring provocative and sometimes controversial statements about everything from violent crime to family values and unemployment, the Candle of Hope includes a 27m glass wall fronted by a 6m tall bronze monolith, which contains dozens of finely sculpted scenes of South Africa's "iconic history" since 1990.

With no announcement or obvious explanation, pedestrians gathered on a sidewalk in 5th Street to stare at the sculpted images of Mandela signing the Constitution and doing his "jive" as he left prison; both rugby world cup wins; and scenes of everyday life - from doctors with stethoscopes to miners with drills.

Produced by a team led by local artist Sally Ann Graham, the monument was the brainchild of hotel tycoon Bart Dorrestein, chairman of the Legacy Group - the official host of Fifa at the recent World Cup - which provided the funds for the monument.

SA Chamber of Commerce CEO Neren Rau said that - like the mysterious installation of the "Charging Bull" statue on Wall Street in New York in 1989 by an optimistic investor - the Candle of Hope monument was "an important tangible reflection" of a 2.8 point jump in national business confidence during the World Cup.

On Saturday, Dorrestein discussed the artwork on Mandela with "a prominent member of the Mandela family" as "a courtesy", and said he was delighted with her "support" for the project.

Saying a formal unveiling was likely in two weeks, Dorrestein said: "There is a huge mood of optimism in the country, among business leaders, I can tell you, and also among citizens - but we have to build on what we achieved with the World Cup, and remember our responsibility to our children - especially yesterday, on Mandela's birthday," he said. It's a tribute to our recent iconic history - particularly the role that Nelson Mandela played in bringing this nation together - but it's also a challenge for the future: a monument to where we could be one day as a nation."

An enclosed candle and fountain top the monolith - modelled on a gnarled wild fig tree - while a real fig tree has been installed alongside.

A series of "provocative statements" like "Don't fight crime with guns - fight it with jobs" and "Mediocrity is no longer acceptable" line the huge glass panels, which are painted with trees and which are to be back-lit by an elaborate lighting system.

One controversial poem asks: "If somebody came and said to you: 'there is a plan to take our angry youth off the streets and convert them from would-be killers, robbers and rapists to protectors of men - would you listen?"

It answers later that millions of South Africans were now ready to listen to each other for the collective good of the country.

Dorrestein said: "That particular statement certainly doesn't say all angry youth are would-be criminals; it is simply recognising reality of the frustration and anger in our unemployed youth today, and calls on South Africans to empower the youth to help build this wonderful country. I'm not looking for controversy; I'm looking to commemorate, and pose a challenge for a brighter future."

An anti-unemployment campaigner, Dorrestein's son was killed in a botched hijacking in 2006. Preferring not to speak about the incident, he would only say: "I want my children to grow old in a prosperous South Africa."