Madiba jives forever at his birthplace

A SMILING, dancing Nelson Mandela is now a permanent fixture at his birthplace in Mvezo after a lifesize statue was unveiled on Friday.

The bronze statue of Mandela doing the “Madiba Jive” was unveiled near the rondavel where he was born. It overlooks the Bashe River and the valley — a place Mandela said he loved.

The statue, by Kobus Hattingh, who was responsible for the 6m-high bronze in Sandton, Johannesburg, stands at the entrance to the Mvezo Komkhulu Museum. The museum was opened by President Jacob Zuma and Mandela’s grandson, Mvezo chief Mandla Mandela, at a ceremony attended by Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa and Eastern Cape premier Phumulo Masualle.

The statue is the first of Mandela in either Mzevo or nearby Qunu, where he was was laid to rest in December.

Speaking at the ceremony, Zuma said: “He may be gone, but he will never be forgotten . . . we want to say that his legacy lives on.”

The museum complex is made up of 10 rondavels and an indoor amphitheatre. It is situated at the Mvezo Great Place, where Mandla Mandela has his homestead. Each rondavel will display a part of the story of Mandela’s childhood and the history of the village.

The rondavels are empty because the contents and exhibits are still being finalised. — Matthew Savides