The Capture site experience
The Mandela Capture site is one of those places that inspire you about this country. You will all begin to understand how Nelson Mandela has affected our lives though his determination, hope, love, understanding & compassion. And whats more the monument is an incredible work of art. This will be one of your best stops along the Midlands Meander.
The Mandela capture story
On 5 August 1962, police waved down a car on a lonely country road in KwaZulu-Natal. At the wheel was Nelson Mandela, posing as a chauffeur, and his arrest was the catalyst for a series of trials, culminating in the Rivonia Treason Trial that would ultimately see him spend 27 years in prison. Today this site is marked by an impressive sculpture in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.
The Mandela capture site
Until relatively recently, the Mandela Capture Site was just a small bricked area with a plaque. But on the 50th anniversary of this event in 2012, an impressive steel sculpture and visitor center was unveiled to give full recognition to the significance of this spot. 50 steel column constructions up to 9.5 metres tall come into alignment to form a portrait of Nelson Mandela against a backdrop of rolling hills and valleys at the Nelson Mandela Capture Site outside the town of Howick in KwaZulu-Natal. Designed by artist Marco Cianfanelli (of Apartheid Museum fame) with the help of architect Jeremy Rose, the sculpture creates something of an optical illusion. From a distance, the 50 steel poles of varying heights simply look like a random collection of poles, but as you approach to within 35m of the sculpture, they merge to form an image of Mandela’s face.
Looking forward
Mandela’s arrest that day was not only the start of a long, dark period in the liberation struggle, but also set Mandela on the path to becoming the world’s most famous political prisoner, and ultimately the first president of a democratic South Africa.
