South Africa takes Mandela auction fight to Constitutional Court

South Africa takes Mandela auction fight to Constitutional Court

South Africa takes Mandela auction fight to Constitutional Court

South Africa’s government has taken its legal battle to stop the U.S. auction of 29 items belonging to late former president Nelson Mandela to the country’s Constitutional Court.

The government and the South African Heritage Resources Agency argue that the items, which include Mandela’s identity document, clothing, writings and a key to his Robben Island prison cell, form part of the country’s national heritage.

Mandela’s eldest daughter, Makaziwe Mandela, authorised the auction to raise funds for a memorial garden near her father’s grave in Qunu. The dispute over the collection has continued for several years, with previous courts allowing the planned sale to proceed.

Should historic personal items belonging to Nelson Mandela remain in South Africa as national heritage?