https://en.sputniknews.africa/20240120/south-africa-seeks-to-stop-new-york-mandela-auction-1064705016.html
South Africa Seeks to Stop New York Mandela Auction
South Africa Seeks to Stop New York Mandela Auction
Sputnik Africa
A New York auction of Nelson Mandela's memorabilia planned for next month was thrown into doubt on Friday after South African authorities said they would... 20.01.2024, Sputnik Africa
2024-01-20T09:01+0100
2024-01-20T09:01+0100
2024-01-20T09:17+0100
sub-saharan africa
nelson mandela
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Items including the late anti-apartheid leader's ID card and some of his iconic shirts have been listed for sale by a US auction house working with Mandela's daughter Makaziwe. But South Africa's Ministry of Culture now says it has filed an appeal to halt "the unpermitted export" of the objects. Auction house Guernsey's had described the sale -- expected to fetch several million dollars -- as "remarkable" and "unprecedented."But the house's president, Arlan Ettinger, told AFP 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?'"A black silk jacquard shirt Mandela wore when he met Britain's Queen Elizabeth in 1996 is advertised with a starting price of $34,000 while an ostrich leather briefcase is going for a minimum of $24,000.Offers for his 1993 personal identification booklet are to start at $75,000.Guernsey's said Mandela's eldest daughter, Makaziwe, authorized the event as a fund-raiser for a memorial garden to be built next to her father's resting place in the village of Qunu. 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. South African 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 spokesman Ben Mwasinga told AFP any item associated with a former statesman requires an export permit to be sold abroad, which has not been granted.Objects of particular concern included Mandela's shirts and writings, he added. Ettinger said the authority's position was "misguided." He described the artifacts as a "small collection of personal items" in some cases given by a father to his daughter that would have likely ended up "on shelves in a closet somewhere and be forgotten in time" rather than in a museum. The auction house was to consult with its attorneys and the Mandela family to decide the next steps, he added. Mandela died in 2013 aged 95. The auction was supposed to take place at the Lincoln Center in New York City and online on February 22.
https://en.sputniknews.africa/20230719/mandela-symbolizes-what-africa-is-all-about-diplomats-on-anti-apartheid-activists-legacy-1060634988.html
https://en.sputniknews.africa/20230612/milestones--major-events-in-nelson-mandelas-life-1059861213.html
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nelson mandela, united states (us), new york, south africa, southern africa, auction, memory, diplomacy
South Africa Seeks to Stop New York Mandela Auction
09:01 20.01.2024 (Updated: 09:17 20.01.2024) Agence France Presse (AFP)
A New York auction of Nelson Mandela's memorabilia planned for next month was thrown into doubt on Friday 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 a US auction house working with Mandela's daughter Makaziwe.
But South Africa's Ministry of Culture now says it has filed an appeal to halt "the unpermitted export" of the objects.
"Former president Nelson Mandela is integral to South Africa's heritage," Minister Zizi Kodwa said. "It is thus important that we [...] ensure that his life's work and experiences remain in the country for generations to come."
Auction house Guernsey's had described the sale -- expected to fetch several million dollars -- as "remarkable" and "unprecedented."
"To imagine actually owning an artifact touched by this great leader is almost unthinkable," Guernsey's wrote on its website.
But the house's president, Arlan Ettinger, told AFP 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 is advertised with a starting price of $34,000 while an ostrich leather briefcase is going for a minimum of $24,000.
Offers for his 1993 personal identification booklet are to start at $75,000.
Guernsey's said Mandela's eldest daughter, Makaziwe, authorized the event as a fund-raiser for a memorial garden to be built next to her father's resting place in the village of Qunu.
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.
South African 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 spokesman Ben Mwasinga told AFP any item associated with a former statesman requires an export permit to be sold abroad, which has not been granted.
Objects of particular concern included Mandela's shirts and writings, he added. Ettinger said the authority's position was "misguided."
"It would be hard for anyone to define these [items] as being culturally or historically significant," he said.
He described the artifacts as a "small collection of personal items" in some cases given by a father to his daughter that would have likely ended up "on shelves in a closet somewhere and be forgotten in time" rather than in a museum.
The auction house was to consult with its attorneys and the Mandela family to decide the next steps, he added.
Mandela died in 2013 aged 95. The auction was supposed to take place at the Lincoln Center in New York City and online on February 22.
