On 11 February 1990, Nelson Mandela gave his first speech as a free man from the balcony at Cape Town City Hall. To celebrate the centenary of his birth, a life-size statue was unveiled in 2018 on that very same balcony. His right hand is aloft in a wave while his left hand is clutching both his speech and his wife's glasses (on the momentous day he misplaced his specs and had to borrow Winnie's).
Nelson Mandela Statue
Cape Town
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
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Nearby Cape Town attractions
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Cape Town's old city hall is a grand Edwardian building dating to 1905. Nelson Mandela made his first public speech from the front balcony here after…
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Mosaic artists Lovell Friedman and Leora Lewis are the creators of this powerful artwork just outside the Central Library. A mosaic of ceramic tiles forms…
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The Drill Hall, dating from 1889 and where Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 21st birthday, has been sensitively restored and turned into the city’s…
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A prime location for Cape Town’s history, the Grand Parade is where the Dutch built their first fort in 1652; where slaves were sold and punished; and…
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Clad in rose- and gold-veined black marble, Mutual Heights is the most impressive of the City Bowl’s collection of art deco structures. The facade is…
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This centre houses an annexe of the District Six Museum which is usually open for temporary exhibitions and events. Currently there's a wonderful…
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The main entrance to the Castle of Good Hope, crowned by a bell tower, replaced the original sea-facing entrance to the fortress.