Madiba souvenirs in sale fracas
A New York auction of Nelson Mandela’s memorabilia next month has been thrown into doubt after South African authorities said they would attempt to block it.
Items, including the late anti-apartheid leader’s ID card and some of his iconic shirts, have been listed for sale by an US auction house working with Mandela’s daughter, Makaziwe.
But the department of sport, art and culture now says it has filed an appeal to halt “the unpermitted export” of the objects.
“Former president Mandela is integral to South Africa’s heritage,” Minister Zizi Kodwa said. “It is thus important that we ... ensure his life’s work and experiences remain in the country for generations to come.”
Auction house Guernsey’s described the sale – expected to fetch millions – as “remarkable” and “unprecedented”.
“To imagine actually owning an artefact touched by this great leader is almost unthinkable,” Guernsey’s wrote on its website.
But the house’s president, Arlan Ettinger, said the government’s move, which follows an earlier unsuccessful bid to halt the sale, put the firm “in the very, very difficult position of saying; ‘do we go forward with the auction?’”.
The “nearly 100 treasured items” that played a role in the Nobel Peace prize winner’s life and are slated for sale, include clothing, writings and gifts Mandela received from US presidents, including Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.
A black silk jacquard shirt Mandela wore when he met Britain’s Queen Elizabeth in 1996 has a starting price of $34 000 (about R646 000), while an ostrich leather briefcase is going for a minimum of $24 000.
Offers for his 1993 identity book are to start at $75 000.
Guernsey’s said Mandela’s eldest daughter, Makaziwe, authorised the event as a fundraiser for a memorial garden to be built next to her father’s resting place in the village of Qunu.
Makaziwe Mandela could not be reached for comment.
Initially advertised in 2021, the auction was first suspended a year later after the South African Heritage Resources Agency (Sahra) went to court arguing it included items of historical and cultural importance.
Judges gave it the green light in December, but Sahra and the culture ministry have since lodged an application for leave to appeal.
A decision is pending.
Sahra spokesperson Ben Mwasinga said any item associated with a former statesman requires an export permit to be sold abroad, which has not been granted. Objects of concern included Madiba’s shirts and writings, he said.
Ettinger said the authority’s position was “misguided”. “It would be hard to define these as culturally or historically significant.” He described them as a “small collection of personal items” given by a father to his daughter.
The auction house was to consult with its attorneys and the Mandela family to decide the next steps, Ettinger said.