Nelson Mandela Square and other Sandton, South Africa Tourist Trap Tips

This hideous 6 metre statue of Nelson Mandela was unveiled at the renamed Nelson Mandela Square on 31 March 2004.

It's positively repugnant in that it makes Nelson Mandela(tm) look like Goofy(tm)

This is a prime example of commercial, crass, tourist capitalism and I suggest you merely take pix of it to laugh at back home, rather than frame yourself into the shot and see your friends laugh at you.

For interests sake, the statue was designed by a white guy using a black helper, it was funded by donors who have refused to disclose themselves (read - white businessmen who supported apartheid to the full until it ended and then ten years later thought "Okay let's do something to pull in the tourists, how about using Madiba?".

Nelson Mandela did not attend the unveiling of the statue.

Mandela is a global hero, this statue cheapens his namesake for the interests of commercialism. If he wasn't just a man I'd say it verges on blasphemy - in a cute mickey mouse(tm) kind of way.

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