25 November, 2011 – The Centre of Memory at the Nelson Mandela Foundation has recently experienced an upsurge in requests to facilitate personal messages from Madiba in support of events, commemorations and campaigns. As you know, Madiba has over the years repeatedly stated his wish to retire from public life.
Perhaps his most emphatic call was made in 2008 at his birthday celebrations where he called on a new generation of leaders to take responsibility when he said “It is in your Hands”.
We wish to reiterate previous statements issued by the Centre of Memory, that out of respect for Madiba’s wishes, the Centre no longer facilitates requests for fresh messages from him or his personal participation in or endorsement of campaigns.
As an alternative, in support of worthy humanitarian causes or important commemorative events, we make available historical statements from the Centre’s archives. Such quotations cannot of course be used for fund raising or commercial purposes.
We thank you for your past support in helping to make Madiba’s retirement a reality so that he can enjoy some peace and privacy after so many decades of selfless public service. We humbly ask for your assistance once more and request that you pass this message on to comrades, friends and associates.
Yours sincerely
Achmat Dangor
Chief Executive Officer
Nelson Mandela Centre Of Memory
At the Nelson Mandela Foundation