‘Queen Vic’ to continue vigil outside city hall

MANY Herald readers fell for an April Fools’ prank yesterday, believing a tongue-incheek article about the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality’s R15-million plan to tear down an iconic statue and replace it with a plaque.

Irate readers inundated the newsroom with phone calls, e-mails and SMSes relaying their disgust at the supposed development, which would purportedly see the Queen Victoria statue outside the Main Library in Port Elizabeth torn down.

The story told how the statue would be replaced by a plaque commemorating 20 years of democracy as part of the province’s “Home of the Legends” campaign.

A source was quoted as saying: “From what we understand, the statue of Queen Victoria was seen as ‘offensive’ and will therefore be removed.”