Nelson Mandela, Bronze statue at Cape Town City Hall, South Africa

The Nelson Mandela statue is a bronze figure placed on a balcony of Cape Town City Hall, facing the Grand Parade. The figure shows Mandela with his right hand raised and a rolled paper in his left hand.

The memorial marks the spot where Mandela gave his first public speech on the day of his release from prison on February 11, 1990. That address, delivered before a large crowd gathered on the Grand Parade, became one of the defining moments in South African history.

The balcony where the statue stands is the same spot where Mandela spoke publicly for the first time after his release, and many South Africans feel a strong personal connection to that place. Visitors gather on the Grand Parade below to look up at the figure, especially on national days of remembrance.

The statue is clearly visible from the Grand Parade, the open square in front of City Hall, so no building access is needed. A visit works well in the morning, when the square is less crowded and the light falls on the front of the bronze figure.

The bronze figure stands 1.95 m, slightly taller than Mandela's actual 1.85 m. Sculptors Xhanti Mpakama and Barry Jackson were commissioned by Dali Tambo's company Koketso Growth, which won the tender. Mpakama had previously made a Mandela bust and a Shaka; Jackson had sculpted Louis van Mauritius and Johannes van der Kemp.