The Western Cape government unveiled a new monument on Tuesday, capturing the moment in which Nelson Mandela gave his first speech as a free man in Cape Town in February 1990. The statue depicting the moment has been installed on the balcony at City Hall.
The statue stands 1.95m tall and weighs 120 kilograms. It depicts Nelson Mandela, in a grey suit identical to the one worn on the day, down to an identical replication of his polka dot print tie and white pocket handkercief. In his hand, Mandela holds a page bearing the first paragraph of the speech he gave that day. The text also appears in braille.
At the unveiling, Western Cape Premier, Hele Zille said: “The statue will form part of the new Madiba Legacy tourism route, which is expected to attract many more visitors to our region. The route begins at Robben Island, and moves through historic landmarks such as parliament, before ending here at City Hall.”
Alan Winde, Western Cape Minister of Economic Opportunities, added: “The legacy project is about growing tourism, expanding the economy to create new jobs and about telling the stories of the Western Cape in a way that honours its people.”
The statue was created by artists Barry Jackson and Xhanti Mpakama through Koketso Growth, spearheaded by Dali Tambo. Tambo said: “We wanted it to be perfect, it’s going to be there for more than 300 years with some waxing and polishing, and so you want people, now and in the future, to be gifted by it, to remember that special moment.”
