Nelson Mandela Square ( Nelson Mandela Square ) - The square is located in the Sandton business district of Johannesburg in the Republic of South Africa . It is named after a politician , president of the Republic of South Africa, and apartheid fighter Nelson Mandela . Formerly: Sandton Square [1] .
| Mandela Square | |
|---|---|
 Nelson Mandela Square | |
| general information | |
| A country | |
| Area | Sandton |
| Length | 1000 m2 |
| Former names | Sandton |
| Name in honor | |
| Postcode | |
Content
History
Sandton Square was built in 1994 . On March 31, 2004, on its 10th anniversary, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the fall of apartheid and the establishment of democracy in South Africa, it was officially renamed Nelson Mandela Square. A bronze statue of Mandela was discovered in the square; it became the first public monument to Mandela in South Africa. The statue was created by South African sculptors Kobus Hatting and Jacob Maponyane. The construction of the statue began in July 2002 , and it was completed in February 2004. The statue has a height of 6 meters and weighs 2.5 tons [1] . An area of 1000 m2 is located in the most respectable area of Johannesburg. About 10,000 companies work in office buildings on this square, including the country's investment banks, corporations, and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange . A network of shops, cafes and restaurants are built on the square, and it also has the largest shopping complex in Africa, Sandton City. There is a library on the square. About one million local and foreign tourists visit this area every month [2] .
Interesting Facts
- The renaming of the area caused heated discussion in the country. Opponents of the renaming cited the fact that the square is located in a rich area of Johannesburg, while Nelson Mandela always advocated for the rights of the poor.
- The Nelson Mandela Foundation set up an urn for collecting donations near the monument, which made it possible to collect more than 50,000 South African rands in the very first days [1] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 sainfo_admin . Joburg unveils Mandela statue (English) , Brand South Africa (April 1, 2004). Date of treatment May 23, 2017.
- ↑ Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton, Johannesburg . www.southafrica.net. Date of treatment May 23, 2017.