The centre, at 107 Central Street in Houghton, Johannesburg, is a milestone achievement for the Nelson Mandela Foundation, and bears testament to Mandela’s vision. The date of the launch marked the 20th anniversary of the adoption of South Africa’s Interim Constitution in November 1993. This document was the founding doc of a non-racial and fully democratic South Africa. It paved the way to the country’s first democratic elections on 27 April 1994.
At the launch it was also announced that a statue of Nelson Mandela would be unveiled at the Union Buildings in Tshwane (that’s Pretoria for those of you who have been out of SA a while) in December to mark the centenary celebration of the buildings.
Sello Hatang, chief executive of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, explained that the new facility was for all people to play a part and build a legacy together. South Africans, he said, must open the Mandela legacy up to interpretation, and convene dialogue on critical social issues. “We are responsible for the ghosts who bought us freedom, for those who struggled for justice, and we need to continue the struggle for those not yet born.”
The centre is open to the public by appointment only. To request a visit, got to the website at
