Ms Hendriks further elaborated on the symbolism of the main column. She informed the Committee that it represented the accelerated growth of Afrikaans. The column stood in a pool of water, which further reinforced the concept of Afrikaans as a living, growing entity requiring sustenance for its continued existence. She said that the play of light inside the monument, caused by the pond and openings in the main column, symbolized the language as a "gleaming tool"