JOHANNESBURG (AP) – A group protecting South Africa's cultural heritage said Tuesday that a planned auction of dozens of works of art belonging to Nelson Mandela has been suspended pending a court application for a permanent halt. Announced.
The online auction was conducted by the New York-based Guernsey auction house in collaboration with Dr. Makaziwe Mandela, anti-apartheid icon and eldest daughter of South Africa's first democratically elected president, who passed away in 2013. It was scheduled for February 24th.
The auction has received widespread criticism from the public and the South African government, who are supporting a court application by the South African Heritage Resources Authority (SAHRA) to appeal an earlier court decision that gave the go-ahead to the auction.
Items up for auction include Mr Mandela's iconic Ray-Ban sunglasses and Madiba shirt, a personal letter he wrote from prison and a blanket given to him by former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle. is included.
A champagne cooler given to him by former US President Bill Clinton is also on the list, with bidding starting at $24,000. Among the items is Mr Mandela's “book” – his identity card after his release from prison in 1993.
Guernsey described the planned auction on its website as “nothing short of amazing”, with the proceeds going towards the construction of the Mandela Memorial Gardens in Qunu, the village where Mr Mandela is buried. said.
A note posted on the auctioneer's website on Tuesday indicated the auction had been suspended without providing further details.
SAHRA said in a statement that the suspension was the result of Dr Mandela's involvement with the auction house.
“SAHRA welcomes the decision by the Guernsey auction house to cancel the auction,” the agency said.
The agency is awaiting the outcome of a stay application to appeal against a decision by the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria to proceed with the auction, which rejected the agency's injunction in December last year.
The agency maintains that the items up for auction are the country's cultural heritage and should be preserved for future generations rather than sold to the highest bidder.
