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New In South African Tourism, A Madiba-Inspired Map

New In South African Tourism, A Madiba-Inspired Map

A new tourist map inspired by Nelson Mandela will allow tourists in South Africa to travel in the iconic leader’s footsteps, News24.com reports.

The newly launched Madiba-Inspired Tourist Attractions map includes sites such as Robben Island, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site where Mandela was imprisoned.

Another attraction: Mandela’s house on Vilakazi Street in Soweto — the only street in the world that was home to two Nobel Peace Prize-winning residents, Mandela and Desmond Tutu.

In 1993, the year before Mandela became South Africa’s first democratically elected president, South Africa had 3.4. million international arrivals, News24.com reports. In 2012 South Africa had 13.5 million visitors including 9.2 million tourists.

“It is thanks to his vision and principles that our tourism industry has grown
as much as it has since our first democratic elections 20 years ago when he was elected
president of South Africa,” said South African Minister of Tourism Marthinus Van Schalkwyk.

Developed by South African Tourism in partnership with the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory, the map highlights tourist sites and places of general interest in four South African provinces that best defined Mandela’s life:

– The Eastern Cape, where he was born, grew up and attended Fort Hare University.

– Gauteng, where he worked as a human rights lawyer and became active in South Africa’s struggle against apartheid.

– KwaZulu-Natal, where he was captured.

– The Western Cape, where he spent decades in prison and ultimately was freed.

Van Schalkwyk spoke at the Drakenstein Correctional Centre, formerly Victor Verster Prison in Cape Town, the last place where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned before being freed on Feb. 11, 1990.

The map “encapsulates the key points of his life’s journey to make it as easy as possible for people to personally experience Mandela’s story,” he said.

Since Mandela’s release from prison in February 1990, museums, monuments and attractions have sprung up to help tourists and residents better understand South Africa’s history.

Some lesser-known attractions on the map include:

– The Kliptown Open-Air Museum in Soweto where the Freedom Charter was adopted by the Congress of the People.

– The Nelson Mandela Youth and Heritage Centre in Mandela’s childhood home of Qunu, where he was buried.

The map also details background information, contact information and cost of attractions and places of interest.

“Not only was Nelson Mandela an incredible man and leader, but he is a truly global icon and his name alone put South Africa on the map,” Van Schalkwyk said, according to the report. “Since 1994 visitors from all corners in the globe have come to South Africa to seek out the places that shaped his remarkable life.