President Cyril Ramaphosa has unveiled two statues of the late Nelson Mandela as part of the festivities to celebrate the 2023 edition of International Nelson Mandela Day which is celebrated on Mandela’s birthday, July 18.
The statues are situated at Nelson Mandela Museum’s Bhunga Building in Mthatha and the Qunu Youth and Heritage Centre.
The statue situated at Nelson Mandela Museum symbolises Madiba as a global icon and a statesman, while the one in Qunu represents him as a traditional man and the traditional values that shaped him.
Ramaphosa described the statues as “a struggle of memory against forgetting.”
He further said both the Nelson Mandela Museum and the Qunu Youth and Heritage Centre will become a tourist attraction for international and local tourists who are interested in the history and legacy of Mandela.
“Already, I am told that this place (Qunu) has become a very important tourist destination.
“We now need to make this place even much more beautiful and developed to attract more tourist both locally and internationally,” Ramaphosa added.
Ramaphosa said the statues of Mandela should also serve as a reminder to those elected to serve the citizens of the country that they must redouble their efforts to build a better South Africa that leaves no one behind.
