A well-known Cape Town landmark has had a rough week, and the story took an unexpected turn along the way.
Cape Town’s rainbow crossing in the De Waterkant and Green Point area has been vandalised twice within a matter of days.
The city has promised a full restoration of the LGBTQ+ landmark.
The crossing was first damaged over the weekend of 6-7 September. After the city painted it pink as a temporary fix, it was vandalised a second time with religious graffiti reading “Perversion, Romans 1:24-27” and “Jesus is Lord.”
Ward 115 Councillor Ian McMahon confirmed the first incident.
He said the crossing sustained significant damage to its rainbow surface over the weekend.
The specialised paint colours needed to fully restore the design weren’t in stock, with a lead time of roughly three months.
Rather than leave the crossing damaged, the city opted to paint it solid pink as an interim solution.
Shortly afterwards, the now-pink crossing was vandalised a second time, with the religious graffiti scrawled across its surface.
According to MambaOnline, police arrested a man in connection with this second incident.
Officials, though, haven’t yet confirmed further details, and it remains unclear whether the same person was responsible for both incidents.
Cape Town installed the rainbow crossing back in 2022 on Somerset Road. The area has long been associated with the city’s LGBTQ+ community, nightlife and venues.
At the time, Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said the crossing aimed to send a clear message.
He wanted everyone to feel welcome in a city that embraces diversity.
Opposition followed almost immediately.
For instance, the ACDP’s Marvin Christians argued at the time that the coloured markings violated National Road Traffic Regulations.
These regulations require crossing paint to be white only.
The city responded that the paint used complied with South African National Standards for road markings.
In response to this latest vandalism, the city reaffirmed its commitment to restoring the crossing.
Once the correct paint colours arrive, the city plans to bring back the original design. Officials say, moreover, that vandalism won’t discourage that effort.
It’s a strange thing to watch a single pedestrian crossing become such a lightning rod, twice damaged, twice repainted, and still very much at the centre of a much bigger conversation about who gets to feel welcome in a shared public space.
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Source: The South African
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