Ayanda Mabulu warned not to return to scene exhibiting 'blame it on the boers' artwork
13 December 2018
Gauteng police say controversial artist Ayanda Mabulu was not arrested but was merely removed from outside the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, following a display of his artwork stating, "blame it on the boers" on Wednesday.
"He was not arrested. He was removed from where he was exhibiting his work. The reason for the removal was because he was not permitted to display his artwork there. He was warned not to return there, it was not an arrest it was a removal," spokesperson Captain Kay Makhubela told News24.
Makhubela said it was not immediately clear who had laid a complaint with police but said once they were alerted, they arrived on the scene to find Mabulu displaying the artwork and proceeded to remove him and the work.
The controversial 37-year-old set up his display on Wednesday afternoon outside the stock exchange, saying he wanted his work to speak on behalf of "the highly undermined black people who are constantly being robbed by white monopoly capital," he told News24 earlier in the day.
The painting included an image of former Steinhoff CEO Markus Jooste receiving fellatio from a black woman,emblems belonging to Afrikaner resistance movement AWB with an image of its former leader Eugene Terre'Blanche as well as the body of a black man hanging upside down.
Alongside the artwork were pig heads hung with what looked like bank notes stuffed in their mouths.
"It's a call to say if a black man stole a packet of beans, he would have been arrested in public, but people like Markus Jooste, who robbed in public, it is okay for them to not to be arrested. Why? What are we waiting for? No, things should change," he added.
The artwork was was meant to be exhibited at the Constitutional Hill, Mabulu said. But it was allegedly rejected due to it "being too controversial".
As a result, Mabulu chose the JSE as "a perfect new home", saying it was inspired by the hold which white monopoly capitalism had on South Africa, namely the Steinhoff saga.
Despite police denying that no arrest was made and no charges were laid, Mabulu's colleague Sipha Kema insists that charges were laid against him.
"The charges are Public Indecency and Display of Pornographic Material in public," Kema said.
She also said police were still in possession of the painting. Makhubela however, denied this.
"We didn't take anything, he still has his things."He also said Mabulu was not taken to any police station, as previously reported.
