KwaZulu-Natal: Take a virtual tour of the Nelson Mandela Capture Site! [update]

update (05 September 2020) From the 01 September 2020 to 20 September 2020, to celebrate Tourism Month, The Nelson Mandela Capture Site has dropped the cost of all ticket prices by 15%! The Cafe is open!

update (18 August 2020): The Nelson Mandela Capture Site has reopened on 15 August 2020. Only the Cafe is currently still closed!

update (14 June 2020): The Nelson Mandela Capture Site is still closed!

update (12 June 2020): Under alert level three, the Nelson Mandela Capture Site is set to reopen with limited access from 17 June 2020. Before you travel to the Nelson Mandela Capture Site, check the website for the most recent updates.

• Sculpture - open from 17 June 2020
• Visitor Centre - temporarily closed until further notice
• Cafe - temporarily closed until further notice

The Nelson Mandela Capture Site, located near Howick in KwaZulu-Natal, has launched a virtual tour of its new visitor centre and the sculpture while it remains closed to the public due to the spread of the coronavirus. The virtual tour includes video, high quality graphics and content about the Capture Site. It is best seen on a desktop in full screen with audio turned on. Unfortunately the tour is not yet suitable for smartphones. The virtual tour of the Nelson Mandela Capture Site's visitor centre and sculpture was launched on 27 May 2020, marking two months since the site was first closed to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Nelson Mandela Capture Site exhibition from The Capture Site on Vimeo.

South Africa: Nelson Mandela's gravesite to be open to the public in the future

According to Ndileka Mandela, the oldest grandchild of the late Nelson Mandela, Madiba's gravesite in Qunu (Eastern Cape) would eventually be opened to the general public by his family in the future. No date has been set, although discussions about the matter with various sectors of the government as well as the ANC are already under way. Nelson Mandela, who died at the age of 95 in December 2013, is buried on a hill in his childhood Qunu homestead in rural Eastern Cape. Qunu is located about 30km south-west of Mthatha on the N2 between Butterworth and Mthatha.

Cape Town: Explore Robben Island from your desktop!

To commemorate South Africa's "Freedom Day" (27 April), Google has partnered with the Robben Island Museum and the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory to bring the story of Robben Island online. You can now explore the UNESCO World Heritage Site by clicking through Google Maps' Street View imagery of Robben Island as well as by following an audio-visual tour of the island hosted on Google Cultural Institute.



The audio-visual tour of Robben Island includes a visit to Nelson Mandela’s prison cell and activist Robert Sobukwe’s house. The imagery, audio-effects, video and virtual tour provide insights into the story of the island and some of its more famous prisoners.

The Nelson Mandela Museum in Qunu (Eastern Cape, South Africa)

Following the death of Nelson Mandela on the 05 Dec 2013, the Nelson Mandela Museum in Qunu is expected to see an increase in the number of visitors, both local and international. The museum already opened its doors back in 2000 and offers a memorable cultural experience that gives insight into the life of Nelson Mandela. Guided tours are available as well as a heritage trail that follows Mandela's footsteps. Madiba never wanted the museum to be a tribute dedicated to him; instead he wanted the museum in Qunu to serve as a catalyst for the upliftment and development of the local community. Qunu will also be the final resting place of Nelson Mandela. He will be buried here on 15 December 2013.
The Nelson Mandela Museum is open daily from 09:00 – 16:00 except for Good Friday and Workers Day on 01 May. The museum does not charge any entrance fees, however donations are encouraged. As Qunu is a rather small town with limited accommodation options, travellers might consider rather to stay in Mthatha (32 km along the N2) or in Butterworth (92km along the N2).


View The Nelson Mandela Museum in Qunu in a larger map

Three historical sites actually form part of the Nelson Mandela Museum projekt. The sites are at Mvezo, near Coffee Bay, where Mandela was born, the village of Qunu about 32 km outside Mthatha and the Bunga Building on Nelson Mandela Drive in central Mthatha, where the story of the life and times of one of South Africa's greatest leaders is depicted.

Video: A flashmob tribute to Nelson Mandela by the Soweto Gospel Choir

Two days after Nelson Mandela passed away, the Soweto Gospel Choir paid a very special flashmob tribute to Madiba. In cooperation with Woolworths South Africa, the choir sang an incredible tribute to Mandela in Woolie's Parkview store. Truly inspiring! Hamba kahle tata Madiba!

Video: Nelson Mandela remembered through a collection of photographs by Jürgen Schadeberg

British newspaper/news magazine "The Economist" published a remarkable collection of photographs on youtube in honour of the late Nelson Mandela, who passed away in the evening hours of 05 December 2013 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The photographs are  made by German/South African photographer Jürgen Schadeberg, a long-time friend of Madiba. Schadeberg, who was one of the few white photographers who photographed daily life among the black community during Apartheid, and Mandela first met in December 1951. They formed a lifelong friendship. Hamba kahle, tata Madiba!

Hamba kahle, tata Madiba!

Hamba kahle, tata Madiba... you will continue to inspire generations!

 

Johannesburg: Nelson Mandela's office to be open to the public

Former South African President Nelson Mandela’s office in Johannesburg has been transformed into an interactive archive Centre Of Memory, where various awards, private documents and gifts Madiba received over the years will be on display. The office will most likely be open to the public from September 2013. Entrance will be for free, but only by appointment.

The Nelson Mandela Centre Of Memory is located in 107 Central Street in Houghton, Johannesburg (GPS:S 26° 08'55.6" | EO 28° 03'30.6").

Tours & acitivities in Johannesburg >>