(IDEX Online) - A decision on what should happen to the statue of De Beers founder Cecil Rhodes has been delayed by Oxford University.An independent Commission of Inquiry launched last year by Oriel College, was due to report its finding this month, but is said to be dealing with an unexpectedly high number of representations.The fate of the bronze statue - whether it should be removed and if so where to - is now due to be decided in the spring. A college spokesperson blamed the "considerable volume of submissions". Rhodes, born in England in 1853, was sent to South Africa as a teenager and established De Beers empire in 1888, gaining near-complete domination of the world diamond market.He gave his name to the territory that was once Rhodesia and endowed the Rhodes scholarships that have been paying for 8,000 students (including Bill Clinton) to attend Oxford University.Detractors accuse him of being a racist, a white supremacist and the father of apartheid.TV grab shows crowds in Oxford demanding the removal of the statue in June 2020