A South African cabinet minister, Nathi Mthethwa, demanded to halt the auction of Nelson Mandela’s prison cell key on Friday. Mthethea, who’s the minister of sports, arts, and culture urged to stop the auction scheduled to happen in the US on January 28.
He criticized the auction carried by New York-based Guernsey’s auction house in his speech. According to him, it is very unfathomable for the auction house. Organizing the sale of Mandela’s prison cell key despite knowing the painful history, as well as the symbolism behind it, is unethical on their part. They should have first consulted the South African government, specifically the South African heritage authorities, and the Robben Island museum too before putting the key on auction.
An artifact like a prison key without a doubt belongs to the South African people. It is supposed to be under the care of the Robben Island Museum and the government only. As per the cabinet official, the key is not anybody’s personal property which is why the unfair and immoral auction at Guernsey’s needs to be stopped. He suggested that the auction house should do the right thing by returning the key to the legal owner.
Mandela was the nation’s first-ever black president who served between 1994 to 1999. He was sent to Robben Island prison for his anti-apartheid revolutionary notions for a long tenure. After the demise of the former leader, his prison cell key is perceived as a memento that holds a lot of sentiments by the people of South Africa.
Ever since the demise of Mandela, his family has been trying to raise funds to construct a memorial museum and also a garden around his grave by providing items associated with his life. In reply to Mthethea’s unfathomable remark, the auction house said that the proceeds of the sale will be invested in the construction of a 24-acre garden along with the memorial museum around his burial place. However, it is highlighted that the key was initially sold by Christo Brand, Mandela’s former jailer with whom he made friends.
Arlan Ettinger who’s the president of the auction house told the media that Mandela’s eldest daughter, Makaziwe Mandela Amuah, reached out to Guernsey’s auction house a while ago. The January auction will also include 33 other objects such as colorful shirts gifted by George W. Bush and Barack Obama to him apart from his prison cell key. According to Ettinger, the key symbolizes the worst as well as the best of humanity at the same time. He conveyed that they are honored to assist Mandela’s family in building a memorial in his honor.