Those involved in the attempts to tear down a statue during the Wits protests on Friday will have been left with egg on their faces: Not only did they fail to dislodge the monument, but their choice for a target has been roundly lambasted. Why was the statue targeted? Earlier today, students were seen putting ropes around a statue on de Korte Street. They also set fire to the base of the monument, but ultimately, failed to remove it from its plinth. Police officers intervened, and dispersed the crowds. However, many are wondering why the statue itself has been subjected to violence and vandalism. The Miners’ Monument celebrates the contribution made by the gold mining industry to national wealth. It’s branded as a ‘celebration of the workers’, and after being unveiled in 1964, has served as tribute to the grafters who built South Africa’s economic pillar.