April 24, 2002
By Lucille Davie
THEY'RE symbols of Johannesburg's wealth and power ... but can you spot what's gone wrong with the three bronze miners who stand in front of the city council chambers?
The trio are victims of Johannesburg's ever-inventive vandals. The miner on the left is missing half a leg. One of his workmates has a hacksaw blade embedded below the right knee. 
The bronze plaque at the base has vanished. The spotlights have been stolen, as have the fountain heads that for decades have sprayed water gently across the three brawny backs.
The statue was given to the city by the Chamber of Mines in 1964, and erected at the top of Rissik Street, against the backdrop of the City of Johannesburg offices. The sculptor is David McGregor, who called the statue 'The Miners' Monument'. McGregor also produced a statue of Carl von Brandis, first Commissioner of Mines, which stands outside the High Court in Johannesburg.
City officials have been working on repairs to the miners. A mould for a new leg has been made, based on measurements from a model of the statue at the MuseumAfrica in Newtown. The bronze replacement is almost ready, but can't be restored until the electricity has been repaired.
According to historian Eric Itzkin, who deals with city heritage issues in the Department of Development Planning and Environment, the leg will be restored in the next month. And once restored, Itzkin will be consulting with the metro police to make sure it stays where it is.
Monument vandals have also been busy elsewhere in the city. They have stolen a steenbok statue from Wits University, as well as the plaque on the striking black granite cube commemorating Enoch Sontonga, author of the national anthem, in the Braamfontein Cemetery.
A large bronze two-figure sculpture by David Brown outside the Johannesburg Art Gallery has also been vandalised - one of the figures disappeared in 1996.
The figure turned up in Cape Town two years later when artist Willie Bester recognised it in a scrap yard. Bester bought it, then returned it to Brown. It has now been restored alongside its matching partner. But the gallery officials have taken no chances - the statue now resides in the courtyard of the art gallery, along with other statues that were brought inside.
