Mandela house to be rezoned

PLAN TO TURN PROPERTY INTO A MUSEUM Experts already doing assessments of the damage.

The Nelson Mandela house in Houghton, Johannesburg, will be rezoned into a business property and turned into a museum before the end of the year.

This was confirmed by the Collen Mashawana Foundation, which is in charge of the renovation of the Mandela house.

Mashawana said experts were already doing assessments of the damage to the house and planning the renovations.

“We have targeted Mandela Day as the launch of the museum. Obviously, we will need certain approval from government. We have to rezone the property to business. We are planning the museum to launch on 18 July,” Mashawana said.

Heritage experts were also being brought on board to ensure the original structure is not affected by renovations, which will cost millions of rands.

“That is what we are trying to do at all costs – maintain the original state of the house but make it user-friendly for people to be able to see how ‘Tata’ lived,” he said.

Mashawana said he took up the project as a sign of respect to Mandela. He said the foundation had been contacted by a company that wanted to donate paint towards the renovations.

According to Mashawana, the house was in a bad state with some outbuildings expected to be rebuilt.

“There is a lot of damage on the property. There are cracked boundary walls [and these] will have to be demolished,” he said.

One of Mandela’s grandchildren, Mbuso Mandela, confirmed to eNCA that the house would become a museum.

But it seemed like some of the family members were not on the same page. Ndileka Mandela told The Citizen the family was still to discuss the idea of the house becoming a museum.

“The family has not decided yet what the house will be. For now, we are doing phase one – which is the renovations,” Ndileka said.

The Mandelas have been under fire for commercialising the legacy of the late statesman. This year, there was a public outcry over some of Madiba’s belongings being auctioned in New York. Some of the items included his ID book and hearing aids.

The family were beneficiaries of Mandela’s estate which stood at about R50 million.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation declined to comment on the house, indicating that it was a private home and, therefore, it was upon the family to comment.