The passing of Riky Rick has become a dramatic event in the country, from his friends and his wife receiving backlash for not supporting him enough to his statue now ending up in pieces due to a misunderstanding.
The drama around the statue had been slowly escalating. Lungile Gumede, a sculptor in Durban, created the sculpture in honour of the late Rikhado ( Riky Rick) Makhado. People started flocking to the Bat Center in Durban to view the artwork.
The drama started when Riky’s family objected to the statue and requested that Lungile not show it because they were still mourning. This request prompted Lungile to cover up the statue in brown paper and remove it from public view.
In his Facebook post, Lungile advised that he had a telephonic conversation with the family and agreed that they would advise Lungile on when he could put the statue up again.
However, a few days ago, Dr Lungile uncovered the sculpture due to public demand. Dr Lungile explained that people came in numbers to take pictures with Riky Rick’s life-sized wax figure, even celebrities. According to Sunday World, Lungile opened the viewing of the statue to the public for free.
This move created an uproar with Rick’s family. Daily Sun reported that a back and forth of text messages began between Ricky’s brother Themba and Lungelo. The family reiterated their disapproval of the display and claimed that the sculptor was gaining financially for the viewing even when Gumede said it was accessible to all.
Yesterday Daily Sun reported that Lungelo had allegedly destroyed the statue following threats made by Riky’s family. The publication mentioned that Lungelo said the making of the sculpture cost him R60,000 and that it only took a few minutes for him to destroy it, claiming that he couldn’t take it anymore.
In new developments, The Citizen located Rick’s family for clarity, and a PR representative of the family, Melanie Ramjee, said the published article was not factual.
According to The Citizen, Ramjee said that the family was supportive of all tributes made in Riky’s name.
Lungelo expressed how confused he was because he says other artists are also expressing their Riky Rick appreciation through their craft.
Dr Lungile has made many well-known wax figures, and his work is awe-inspiring.
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