The statue of Nelson Mandela is a large bronze sculpture of the former

President of South Africa The president of South Africa is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of South Africa. The president directs the executive branch of the government and is the commander-in-chief of the South African National Defence F ...

and anti-apartheid activist

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa f ...

, located in

Nelson Mandela Square Nelson Mandela Square is a shopping centre in Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa. It includes a large open area built to resemble a traditional European town square, and an office complex. The centre was formerly known as Sandton Square and w ...

Sandton Sandton is a financial, commercial and residential area, located in the northern part of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. Formerly an independent municipality, Sandton's name came from the combination of two of its suburbs, Sa ...

, Gauteng.

Location

Prior to the statue's unveiling, the square had been named Sandton Square after the surrounding area of

. The square was officially renamed Nelson Mandela Square on 31 March 2004.

Sandton City Sandton City is a large shopping centre situated in Sandton, Gauteng, South Africa. It was built and owned by property development company Rapp and Maister, in partnership with brothers Hilliard and Eli Leibowitz, and was later taken over ...

, the largest retail complex in Africa, lies behind the statue. The location of the statue has been criticized due to Sandton Square's perception as a "symbol of commercial and social elitism".

History

The statue was commissioned in July 2002 and completed in February 2004. It was unveiled in the square on 31 March 2004. It was sculpted by Kobus Hattingh and Jacob Maponyane. The statue was erected in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of South Africa's first democratic elections. It was the first-ever public statue of Mandela and was unveiled by his eldest granddaughter, Ndileka Mandela, who said of the statue that "While we honour Nelson Mandela in this statue, we are also honouring South Africa. He's not just a grandfather to us, but to the whole nation". A box for donations for the Nelson Mandela Foundation was placed beside the statue.

Description

The statue stands high and measures from elbow to elbow. The statue weighs 2.5 tons. It has been described as "towering", "imposing", and a "focal point" for the entire area. The statue depicts Mandela wearing his

Madiba shirt A Madiba shirt is a loose-fitting silk shirt, usually adorned in a bright and colourful print. It became known in the 1990s, when Nelson Mandela—then elected President of South Africa—added the item to his regular attire. Mandela popularise ...

and dancing in what was referred to at the unveiling as the "Madiba jive". Basetsana Kumalo, the master of ceremonies at the statue's unveiling, said that it was "a very happy statue. The dancing stance pays tribute to the spirit of joy and celebration inherent in the people of South Africa – this is the Madiba jive".

References

{{Greater Johannesburg, city 2004 establishments in South Africa 2004 sculptures Bronze sculptures in South Africa Statues in Johannesburg

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

Outdoor sculptures in South Africa

Location

History

Description

See also

References