All apartheid-era statues and symbols should be removed from South African public spaces the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have said.

The party made the call on Heritage Day, saying that continuing to celebrate what it termed “colonialists and land thieves” undermines the dignity of black South Africans.

The EFF also said Heritage Day had been stripped of its original meaning, pointing to its roots in Shaka Day, which honoured the legendary Zulu king. According to the party, the democratic settlement of 1994 diluted this history and allowed public holidays to become “commercialised rituals” under the Government of National Unity.

The party said that it has introduced a motion to remove all “apartheid statues” from public spaces, explicitly mentioning the Voortrekker Monument, the statue of Louis Botha in front of the Parliament of South Africa, and various monuments to Paul Kruger and Jan van Riebeeck, which it says can be found “across the nation”.

The EFF contended that statues and monuments honouring Apartheid leaders and colonial figures remain a daily reminder of inequality.

Also on Heritage Day a statue of Paul Kruger, which had stood in Church Square in Pretoria, was removed by civil rights group, AfriForum. The statue, which was sculpted in 1896 and stood in Church Square for more than 70 years, will now be taken to the Afrikaner enclave of Orania. The journey is scheduled to take 16 days and will arrive in Orania on 10 October, Kruger’s 200th birthday.