Mthatha- As millions of people around the world prepare to honour former President Nelson Mandela's 95th birthday on 18 July, the area around his birth place has been turned into a construction site, with projects currently underway expected to boost the local economy.
Some of the projects are:
- The Mvezo Great Place: The seat of the royal family, is receiving a major face lift and is set to become a major tourist attraction.
- A multi-purpose centre: A tribal court and a cultural centre is near completion
- A backpackers lodge in the pipeline to generate profit through tourism
- A new 10km paved road along the N2 from Mthatha to East London is nearing completion
- The Nkosi Dahlibhunga Mandela Legacy Bridge over the Mbashe River is completed
The Mandela family and Eastern Cape government have confirmed that they were in talks with the Presidency to have the Mandela Legacy Bridge officially unveiled on 18 July.
“Understanding the importance of Mvezo and its locality being the birthplace of our former president uNkosi Dalibhunga, government understands the interest of tourists in this area because people will want to come and learn about broader history and of our nation and values informed by grandfather in his early childhood,” Nkosi Mandla Mandela, who is the grandson of Nelson Mandela, told SAnews.
Mandla said the Mvezo Komkhulu Museum, which is funded by the National Lottery Distribution Fund, will further educate tourists on the history of Mandela and his family and how it is located as a royal family in the Thembu monarchy.
“The role of my grandfather in the family, which has been very dynamic, will be available in the museum. But in his incarceration, the women in this family, particularly his mother and his sisters played a huge role in keeping family properties within a patriarchal society so that story also needs to be told.
“We also seek to tell the story of how Mvezo was able to maintain itself for 87 years outside the leadership of the Mandelas”. – SAnews.gov.za
