Guernsey's To Auction Mandela’s Items

Guernsey's To Auction Mandela’s Items

Makaziwe Mandela the eldest daughter of the daughter of South Africa’s first democratically-elected president Nelson Mandela, has won in a legal battle to auction off some of his items.

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According to TimesLIVE, the 70 items include the late former statesman’s identity book (ID).

Makaziwe, the daughter of Madiba and his first wife Evelyn Mase, was taken to court by the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) which attempted to stop the auction.

The SAHRA argued at the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria that 29 of the items should not be sold as they were heritage objects.

Guernsey's To Auction Mandela’s Items

Some of the items include Mandela’s letters from prison, drawings he sketched while in jail, a gift from former US president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle, as well as his ID book issued in 1993.

The New York Times also reports that a key to the Robben Island prison cell where Mandela was imprisoned could be one of the items.

The publication added that SA officials have strongly objected to the key being sold.

The initial date for the auction was 28 January 2022. Now, with the court’s decision in favour of Makaziwe, Guernsey’s auction house in New York has cleared the sale for 22 February 2024.

The company, which estimated the collective value of the 70 items to be between $2 million (R38 million) and $3 million (R56 million), revealed that proceeds from the auction are intended to finance a memorial garden honoring Mandela.

“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.”

Source| TimesLIVE