Nelson Mandela’s personal belongings will be auctioned in February, plan to build a memorial garden at the mausoleum
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Johannesburg. Nearly 100 of former South African President Nelson Mandela’s personal items will be auctioned off in February to create a memorial garden around his mausoleum. Items to be auctioned include the identity document given to Mandela after his release after serving 27 years as a political prisoner of the minority white government. The ‘Madiba Shirt’ which he wore during his meeting with Queen Elizabeth will also be put in the auction.
The three-piece pinstripe suit that Mandela wore on the most memorable occasion of his unprecedented journey from prisoner to president and a number of gold and silver items gifted to him will be auctioned. The auction, conducted by New York-based company Guernsey, was made possible after Mandela’s daughter Makaziwe won a legal battle in 2022. The South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) had tried to block the auction from taking place in January 2022.
The agency had argued in court that among the 29 items to be auctioned, the original key to Mandela’s prison cell at Robben Island was also included. He said that it is national property and his daughter cannot sell it as personal property. She said it should be returned to South Africa for safekeeping. Among the items the agency wanted to retain as heirlooms were Mandela’s identity documents, letters he wrote from prison to his family and others, drawings he made while in prison, and photographs of heads of state, including US President Barack Obama. Includes gifts given to him by.
The court ruled in December 2023 that the agency could not provide adequate evidence regarding the objects in dispute that they fall within the scope of heritage objects as defined in the heritage law. Guernsey said on its website that around 100 items would be offered in an unreserved auction. The company said the proceeds from the auction will be used to create a Mandela Memorial Garden around the former president’s mausoleum in Qunu.
Disclaimer: IndiaTheNews has not edited this news. This news has been published from PTI-language feed.
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