The auction of 70 personal items belonging to late former South African president Nelson Mandela, scheduled to take place in New York in February, 2024 has been suspended.
The auction would have included Mandela’s identity document and hearing aids, as well as gifts from former U.S. Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. Mandela’s eldest daughter, Makaziwe Mandela, had arranged the sale with Guernsey’s auction house.
The South African Heritage Resources Agency, responsible for protecting cultural heritage, together with the government, had launched a legal bid to halt the auction, saying that the items belong to the South African people.
Guernsey’s suspended the auction after the heritage agency asked for a delay until all the court cases were concluded.
