News

Public asked to respect Mr Mandela’s privacy

Nelson Mandela asks for his retirement to be made a reality

24 November 2008 | Category: Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory

Nov 24, 2008 – Nelson Mandela receives an average of 4 000 messages a month from people throughout the world. Of course, many of these messages pay tribute to Mr Mandela and wish him well. Equally, many are requests, mostly for his signature, a message of support, an endorsement, a public appearance or an interview.

Mr Mandela is 90 years old and in 2004 he publically announced his intention to step away from public life. Since then he has steadily reduced his engagements, and he now appears at public events only in extraordinary circumstances.

School safety on the blackboard

Foundation holds education dialogue to discuss the challenges facing South African schools

20 November 2008 | Category: Dialogue for Justice

Nov 20, 2008 – “The family is collapsing in many areas of the country. Some children are living on their own. Drugs, alcohol and transactional sex in communities undermine the ability of students to learn.”

These are just some of the problems facing the education sector in South Africa, as was expressed by one of the participants in an education dialogue, held at the Nelson Mandela Foundation today.

Zapiro leaves his mark

South Africa’s premier political cartoonist pays tribute to Madiba

18 November 2008 | Category: Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory, Publications

November 19, 2008 – An exhibition of cartoons of Nelson Mandela by Zapiro has opened as the last of six exhibitions to commemorate Mr Mandela’s 90th birthday celebrations.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation’s CEO, Achmat Dangor, launched the exhibition at the Foundation offices. Jonathan Shapiro (Zapiro) talked about his interactions with Madiba, both in print and in person.

Skills passed on to community conversations facilitators

Training empowers a new set of facilitators to hold dialogues about HIV/AIDS

18 November 2008 | Category: Dialogue for Justice

Nov 17, 2008 – The Nelson Mandela Foundation convened a community conversation run by newly trained facilitators at Soshanguve, in Gauteng, yesterday.

“Community conversations” is a Nelson Mandela Foundation initiative aimed at facilitating dialogue about HIV/AIDS within communities.

Message from Mr Nelson Mandela on the passing of Miriam Makeba

Foundation mourns the death of MaMiriam

10 November 2008 |

November 8, 2008 – The sudden passing of our beloved Miriam has saddened us and our nation.

For many decades, starting in the years before we went to prison, MaMiriam featured prominently in our lives and we enjoyed her moving performances at home. Despite her tremendous sacrifice and the pain she felt to leave behind her beloved family and her country when she went into exile, she continued to make us proud as she used her worldwide fame to focus attention on the abomination of apartheid.

New, extensive exhibition opens on Nelson Mandela

Apartheid Museum exhibition took more than a year to put together, and will travel extensively

8 November 2008 | Category: Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory

November 8, 2008 – Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu opened the exhibition Mandela, focusing on Nelson Mandela as a leader, comrade, negotiator, prisoner and statesman, at the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg today.

The exhibition, which was developed in partnership between the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the Apartheid Museum and the Nelson Mandela Museum in Mthatha, is made up of photographs, videos and artifacts, which include the car that Mercedes Benz workers made for Mandela while he was president of South Africa.

Nelson Mandela congratulates Barack Obama

Madiba wishes new US President strength and fortitude for challenging days and years ahead

8 November 2008 | Category: Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory

Nov 8, 2008 – Nelson Mandela has written a personal letter to Barack Obama, congratulating him on his election as the president of the United States of America.

In the letter, Madiba applauds Obama’s commitment to supporting the cause of peace and security around the world, and encourages him to make it the mission of his presidency to combat the scourge of poverty and disease everywhere.

New Mandela scam

Foundation does not endorse competition

7 November 2008 |

Nov 7, 2008 – The public is warned of a new scam exploiting the name of Nelson Mandela. An organisation calling itself “Nelson Mandela Promotion” or “Mandela Promotions” is running a competition which claims endorsement from the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the South African government and “Mandela Square (Sandton)”. These claims are fraudulent.

Nelson Mandela’s speeches in 2008

Words of wisdom in Nelson Mandela’s 90th year

31 October 2008 | Category: Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory

Oct 31, 2008 – As we near the end of 2008 and the celebrations for Mr Mandela’s 90th birthday have begun to abate, we look back at his words of wisdom presented at various occasions in his honour.

Mr Mandela is fully retired and he seldom makes speeches. However, in this very special year, he chose to address a range of issues. This retrospective includes, in alphabetical order, speeches made at: an ANC birthday rally in Tshwane; the Nelson Mandela Foundation’s Annual Lecture in Kliptown, Soweto; a children’s celebration in Johannesburg; a fundraising dinner in London for the 46664 HIV/AIDS awareness campaign; and at the 46664 concert, also in London.

Workshop wraps up 2008 community conversations

Shared experiences will guide more HIV-prevention dialogues over the next three years  

30 October 2008 | Category: Dialogue for Justice

Oct 30, 2008 – If not you, who? If not now, when? If not this, what? The urgency of these questions drew people together with a sense of purpose in a workshop at the Nelson Mandela Foundation today.

The workshop was held to conclude the Foundation’s 2008 community conversations series. Delegates shared experiences, explained the methodology used in the dialogues and discussed the way forward.