Nelson Mandela Home Transformed Into Luxury Hotel, Sparks Mixes Reactions Amongst South Africans

• The home of South Africa’s first democratic president, the late Nelson Mandela, has been converted into a boutique hotel
• Now called the Sanctuary Mandela, the refurbished establishment is said to preserve and honour the legacy of the iconic leader
• Mzansi online users shared their views on the establishment, saying it's likely only be enjoyed by the rich and out of the reach of average South Africans

South Africa’s first democratic president, the late Nelson Mandela left a lasting mark extending beyond generations. To preserve and honour the legacy of the iconic leader, his home, which had been a symbol of his presidency and struggle against apartheid, has now been transformed into a luxury hotel.

Madiba and members of his family lived at the residence between 1992 and 1998. He was based there while negotiating the multi-party talks that led to South Africa’s democratic rebirth, South Africa’s famous 1995 Rugby World Cup win, the first elections and his presidency.

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The news was shared by @ReutersAfrica on Twitter along with a video into the fancy establishment called Sanctuary Mandela.

Luxury hotel to represent the struggle against apartheid?

While such a development may be remarkable, several Mzansi online users were not entirely impressed, saying the establishment does not stand for what the struggle hero fought for and would only be enjoyed by the elite.

Check out some of their comment on the post:

@cvaaustin said:

“To me, it’s a desecration of his memory and blatant capitalism. A museum would have been the better route but that wouldn’t make money...”

@LeftistWeebBLM replied:

“I suppose, only the rich can experience his legacy, why are you celebrating a socialist with capitalism!?”

@NodinNganji commented:

“It’s even sad that the group that manages this ‘‘luxury boutique hotel’’ (Motsamayi Tourism Group) is only 46% Black-owned. Mandela fought against apartheid, to only see his foundation and a branco-led team profit off his legacy, and deny people the chance to know him deeper.”

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@CosThisIsAfrica wrote:

“There is already a museum at the Nelson Mandela Foundation which is 2 streets away (not to mention another Mandela Museum 30 mins drive in Soweto). They have done a great job to sustainably saving the building from total dereliction. Tbf, Joburg already has many Mandela museums.”

@ridden_anxiety asked:

“Symbol of struggle against apartheid turns into a luxury hotel to honor Nelson Mandela's legacy???????????”

Mzansi celebrates Nelson Mandela 8 years since his passing

Meanwhile, Briefly News previously reported that as South Africans mark the 8th anniversary of Nelson Mandela's passing, social media users headed online to share some sweet and sometimes outright inappropriate memes and messages celebrating the struggle stalwarts life.

Under the hashtag #NellyM, Mzansi had the best time immortalizing the former President. Naturally, peeps were a little confused by the hashtag at first with one person hilariously commenting that he thought a new DJ had come on the scene.

Still, it was all love on the Twitter streets.

Source: Briefly News