The South African government has ordered sculptors to remove a bronze rabbit they hid in the ear of a statue of Nelson Mandela as a signature of their work. A government spokesperson says it should be taken away as soon as possible to restore dignity to the statue.
The sculpture is the work of Andre Prinsloo and Ruhan Janse van Vuuren. Photo: AFP
The nine-metre-high bronze statue of Nelson Mandela with arms aloft was unveiled outside the Union Building in the capital Pretoria on 16 December last year, the day after the former president was buried.
The figure is meant to be a symbol of hope and unity for South Africa. But if by chance you manage to climb up the edifice and peered into its right ear with a magnifying glass, you could just make out the tiny rabbit, the BBC reports.
The two white South African sculptors placed it there as a quirky trademark for their work, having been told they could not engrave their signatures on the statue's trousers.
Andre Prinsloo and Ruhan Janse van Vuuren reportedly inserted the rabbit as a trademark signature and to denote the haste with which they had to complete the statue. Rabbit in the Afrikaans language is "haas", which also means haste.
Mr Mandela was widely acclaimed for his role in fighting white minority rule and promoting reconciliation after being elected South Africa's first black president in 1994.
The 95-year-old died on 5 December after battling a recurring lung infection.
