Provincial focus
Capturing all that was Madiba in KwaZulu-Natal
Just a short drive from Durban is the spot where Nelson Mandela was captured. As the country celebrates not only Mandela Day this month, but also the centenary of his birth, we find out what the KZN government has done – and is continuing to do – to honour the great man.
The inspirational story of former President Nelson Mandela’s journey to freedom cannot be told without including the province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). He left permanent footprints in its political landscape and some of the most notable events in his life unfolded there.
Mandela returned to South Africa and KZN in 1962 to brief Chief Albert Luthuli, the African National Congress president at the time, about Umkhonto we Sizwe’s underground operations.
It was driving back from this meeting on 5 August 1962 that armed apartheid police flagged down the car in which Mandela was pretending to be the chauffeur. Having evaded capture by apartheid operatives for 17 months, Mandela was arrested and spent 27 years in prison.
The Nelson Mandela Capture Site, situated on the R103 about five kilometres outside of Howick in the KZN Midlands, marks this historically important moment in the struggle against apartheid.
Marco Cianfanelli and Jeremy
Rose (Mashabane Rose Architects) originally collaborated in 2007 to make an interactive sculpture that incorporated Mandela’s image. Culture Mechanics, a specialist museum, exhibition, design and art consultancy, curated the project and commissioned the installation of the piece.
The sculpture consists of 50 steel columns between six and 9.5 metres high and 30 metres wide.
While from the road it looks like a forest of steel poles, when visitors walk along the path, which represents the long walk to freedom, the laser-cut steel columns gradually come together. It’s at the focus point, 30 metres from the sculpture, that the columns line up and one can see the twodimensional image of Madiba.
The sculpture visually shifts throughout the day as it’s affected by the changing light. It is the largest artwork of its kind in South Africa and instantly became an international symbol of Mandela’s iconic status, which was recognised by the United Nations when it declared his birthday International Mandela Day.
The sculpture was made possible by the Department of Cooperative Government and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), uMngeni Municipality ,Apartheid Museum and KZN Heritage Council, in association with the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory.
The site also has a small converted shed with a temporary exhibition that portrays Madiba’s life and his role in the transformation of South Africa, as well as a children’s playground, bookshop, various curio shops, Truth Café and a swimming pool.
As for the future of the development, the uMngeni Municipality and CoGTA have commissioned a plan for the establishment of a museum; multipurpose theatre and amphitheatre; and supporting educational tourism and cultural facilities, including an arts and craft node.
Honouring Madiba’s centenary
The KZN Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) has various plans in place to honour Mandela’s centenary.
The “Find the Madiba in you” national campaign encourages South Africans to find the Madiba in them by promoting his experiences across the country, before and during democracy.
“KZN will give support to the campaign through partnerships with media houses to drive it, highlighting Madiba’s experiences in the province, which will be a combination of the struggle years, his role in democratic South Africa and causes that were close to his heart,” said KZN Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs MEC Sihle Zikalala.
The campaign will also be promoted via EDTEA and Tourism KZN’s (TKZN) digital platforms. In addition, the province’s 67 minutes will create tourism hype within communities, trees will be planted and a video will be developed.
Mandela Day Marathon
“Sport has the power to change the world, it has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language that they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was despair.
“The province is committed to continuing to hunt for investment to increase its capacity to create business and employment opportunities.”