Nelson Mandela’s daughter has revealed plans to auction off 70 of her father’s items.
According to a report by TimesLIVE, Nelson Mandela’s daughter will be auctioning off 70 of his items, including an identity book, personal drawings, his famous Madiba shirts, and treasured gifts. Makaziwe Mandela reportedly won a two-year legal battle against the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA), which attempted to stop the sale, and will now go ahead with the auction.
The agency said in a statement, “SAHRA, the Department, and the Museum are urgently assessing the lawfulness and implications of the impending auction and considering all available remedies.”
TimesLIVE reports that SAHRA argued that 29 of the items belonging to Mandela were heritage objects. The agency asked the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria to order Makaziwe to return them to South Africa. However, the court dismissed their application for an interdict for little evidence to support the allegation.
Initially set for January 28, 2022, the sale was halted due to the legal battle. February 22 has been set as the date for the auction by New York-based auction company Guernsey’s.
Guernsey’s stated, “When considering historic figures whose lives inspired the global population, the name Nelson Mandela will forever stand out. To imagine actually owning an artefact touched by this great leader is almost unthinkable. Guernsey’s upcoming Nelson Mandela auction will be nothing short of remarkable. Nearly 100 treasured items will be presented at unreserved auction,”
They said the money from the auction would be used to build a memorial garden at the late South African icon’s gravesite in Qunu.
“Importantly, proceeds from the event will be used for the building of the Mandela memorial garden surrounding President Mandela’s Qunu, South Africa, final resting place. For those who lived through Nelson Mandela’s remarkable struggle for freedom, and for future generations, the garden will serve as an inspirational reminder of a man whose life impacted us all.”
Included in the auction are “Mandela’s ID issued in 1993, letters from prison, his walking stick, drawings he sketched while in prison, a gift from former US president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle,” etc.
