Cape Town: Cecil John Rhodes statue at Rhodes Memorial vandalised! [update]

update (30 September 2020): The beheaded statue of Cecil John Rhodes at Rhodes Memorial  in Cape Town's Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) has been repaired and fortified by Friends of Rhodes Memorial (FORM) on 23 September 2020. According to FORM, the head was found 50 meters away from the torso in low scrub three days after it had been cut off.
FORM has 3D scanned the head the all sculptures at Rhodes Memorial and full size replicas have been made as a replacement to counter any damage. Friends of Rhodes Memorial also filled industrial cement and iron into the statue and installed a GPS tracker and and other electronic alarm systems.

South African National Parks (SANParks) has confirmed that the bust of Cecil John Rhodes at the Rhodes Memorial on the slopes of Table Mountain in Cape Town's Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) has been damaged. According to SANParks' Acting Head of Communications, Rey Thakhuli, "the head of the statue was cut from the bust with what seems to be an angle grinder somewhere between Sunday night (12 July 2020) or the early hours of Monday morning (13 July 2020)."  Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) rangers discovered the vandalised bust while patrolling the area around Rhodes Memorial on 13 July 2020. A case of vandalism has been opened with the South African Police Service (SAPS) for further investigation. Police said that the circumstances surrounding the incident were being investigated and no one had been arrested yet.

@SANParks confirms vandalism at Rhodes Memorial

South African National Parks (SANParks) can confirm that the bust of the 19th century colonialist Cecil John Rhodes at Rhodes Memorial has been vandalised.

Photo Credit: @Reuters pic.twitter.com/StVbfbMwhj

— SANParks TMNP (@TableMountainNP) July 15, 2020

The Rhodes Memorial is a memorial to English-born, South African politician Cecil John Rhodes (1853–1902). It is located on the northern flank of Table Mountain, at the base of Devil's Peak in in Cape Town's Table Mountain National Park (TMNP). Completed and dedicated in 1912, the Memorial consists of 49 massive granite steps, flanked by bronze lions, and a rider astride a bronze horse at the beginning of the steps which leads to the top where the bust is situated, with an inscription beneath.