"To see this sculpture of
Mandela!" Visit the Capture Site between Nottingham Road and Howick in KwaZulu-Natal.
In 2012, to mark the 50th anniversary of Mandela's arrest, a sculpture was erected in the landscape near Howick, in KwaZulu-Natal, where Mandela was captured in 1962. This site is now known as the Capture Site. The sculpture was created by the artist: 'Marco Cianfanelli'.
It consists of 50 steel poles between 6 metres and 10 metres high. At a certain point, the 50 linear vertical steel columns line up, magically recreating an image of Nelson Mandela's face. As you walk closer towards and through the sculpture, the image dissolves back into the forest of 50 poles and eloquently becomes part of the surrounding landscape. As 'Cianfanelli' observes, "The 50 columns represent the 50 years since Nelson Mandela's capture, but they also suggest the idea of the many making the whole: of solidarity. Mandela's incarceration cemented his status as an icon of the struggle, which in turn helped ferment the groundswell of resistance!".
The
Apartheid Museum, in partnership with the
KZN Provincial Government, has created a Museum at the Capture Site. This Museum has been open to the public, since 2016.
It all happened when in 1962, the 5th of August. This otherwise ordinary piece of road along the R103, approximately five kilometres outside Howick, KwaZulu-Natal, suddenly took on profound consequence. Armed apartheid police flagged down a car in which Nelson Mandela was pretending to be the chauffeur.
FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE Nelson Mandela Capture Site: site entrance and fees are as follow- Monday - Sunday 08:30 - 16:45 (Last ticket into the Museum at 16:15) (Last ticket to the Sculpture at 16:45). Please allow at least one to two hours time allocation for your visit the site.
(Closed - 25th & 26th December and 1st January)
Ticket prices for Visitor Centre and Sculpture are easy, payments can be made by online using credit card and Zapper, or at the ticket office. Children under 12 are- Free. Young Adults, aged between 12 - 18 Years are- R30. Adults aged between 18 - 60 Years are- R100. Adults 60 Years of age are R60, Students are also R60. (do remember to have your Pensioners or Student cards!) Scholars and Teachers are R30.
(For current information click on the Link in References: "plan-your-visit")