Outrage over rabbit figurine in right ear of Mandela's statue

South African arts and culture department has said that the secretive addition of a bronze rabbit in the newly erected statue of former president Nelson Mandela's right ear by its sculptors is highly regrettable.

Artists Ruhan Janse Van Vuuren and Andre Prinsloo, meanwhile, apologised for adding a rabbit to the statue in lieu of a signature as well as a comment on the tight deadline to complete the job, News24 reports.

Koketso Growth CEO Dali Tambo criticized the artists for the senseless prank to symbolize haste in the work, saying that they could have discussed the issue instead of resorting to such shameful act.

Tambo said that his company signed an agreement with the government's statue steering committee to create and install the 9 meter figure, and the artists were instructed that no marks, including signatures, would be engraved on the surface of the bronze statue.

The statue was erected in front of the Union Buildings in Pretoria a day after Mandela's burial.