Nearly 100 items are listed in the planned auction of Nelson Mandela’s belongings, including many of his famous colourful shirts and the pinstriped suit that he wore when he gave his victory speech after the 1994 election.Themba Hadebe/The Associated Press
South African authorities are seeking to block a U.S.-based auction house from selling a trove of personal belongings of former president Nelson Mandela, including his walking stick, hearing aids, reading glasses, shoes, briefcase and state-issued identification book.
The auction, scheduled for next month, has sparked outrage and anger among many South Africans who revere Mr. Mandela as an anti-apartheid leader and liberation hero. He was elected as the country’s first democratic president in 1994 and died in 2013.
Several members of Mr. Mandela’s family lashed out against the auction on the weekend. “Those items need to be in a museum where people can visit them,” his grandson Ndaba Mandela told the News24 media outlet in South Africa. “Who sells their father’s ID book? That’s insane. You’re robbing South Africa of its heritage.”
The government says the Mandela items are heritage objects that must remain in South Africa. “It is important that we preserve the legacy of former president Mandela and ensure his life’s work and experiences remain in the country for generations to come,” Culture Minister Zizi Kodwa said in a statement on Friday.
Mr. Mandela’s eldest daughter, Makaziwe Mandela, won a two-year battle in a South African court in late November to gain the right to sell items linked to her father, but the government has lodged an appeal and is trying to halt the auction on the grounds that the legal proceedings are unfinished.
The court battle has focused on the planned export of 29 of the Mandela items, including a key to the prison cell on Robben Island where he was held for most of his 27 years of imprisonment. It is not yet known whether the key – held by former prison guard Christo Brand – will be included in the auction. It was seen as the most valuable and controversial of the items.
Makaziwe Mandela has said the auction will raise funds for a memorial garden to surround her father’s burial site in the town of Qunu in Eastern Cape province. The grave is located behind fences and gates at a former Mandela home and has been off limits to the general public since his death.
The personal identification book the government issued to Nelson Mandela in 1993.VIA GUERNSEYÕS/The New York Times News Service
Guernsey’s, the New York auction house responsible for the sale, said the memorial garden will be created “with the hope that countless visitors will come in the years ahead.” But it is still unclear whether the burial site will be accessible to the public.
Nearly 100 items are listed in the planned auction, including many of Mr. Mandela’s famous colourful shirts and the pinstriped suit that he wore when he gave his victory speech after the 1994 election. The suit is listed with a minimum price of US$50,000 and an estimated price of up to three times that amount.
The auctioneers have listed minimum prices for 70 of the items, adding up to more than US$1-million, although the expected sale price for the items is two or three times as much.
One of the most controversial items in the auction is Mr. Mandela’s personal identification book, a form of ID used to access public and private services, which was issued to him by the government in 1993. It is listed with a minimum price of US$75,000 and an estimated price of US$150,000 to US$175,000. Some South Africans are arguing that it is illegal to sell this identification because it remains government property.
Other items include letters and artwork by Mr. Mandela during his years on Robben Island, a tennis racquet that he used on Robben Island, and a large number of gifts that he received from world leaders and celebrities.
On social media, many South Africans have voiced anger or embarrassment at the planned auction. Some have suggested that the garden should be financed by the government or private philanthropists so that the auction would be unnecessary.
South Africa’s heritage agency, SAHRA, said it is “urgently assessing the lawfulness and implications of the impending auction and considering all available remedies.”
Mr. Kodwa, the Culture Minister, said it is “critical” for the government to support the heritage agency in its fight against the auction. “Former president Nelson Mandela is integral to South Africa’s heritage,” he said. “His life, experiences and legacy live in our consciousness and in the values we promote as a country.”