GLASGOW was the first in the world to grant the former South African president the freedom of the city, granted while he was in prison.
Now the city has moved a step closer to joining more than 20 places around the world that are home to a statue honouring Nelson Mandela, as the 30th anniversary of his visit to Glasgow approaches.
It comes as the campaign to erect a statue of the anti-apartheid hero in Scotland’s biggest city broke new ground, with preliminary works taking place at the proposed site reports our sister title The Herald.
The Nelson Mandela Scottish Memorial Foundation is behind the campaign for both a permanent public memorial and an education project “to remind Scots of their proud history of solidarity with the South African people in their struggle against apartheid”.
READ MORE: Glasgow campaign for Nelson Mandela statue launches Crowdfunder for final push
The charity was granted planning consent for the statue in Nelson Mandela Square by Glasgow City Council back in April 2021, following a successful campaign which began in 2017 with the support of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Workers have been digging “trial trenches” at the proposed site to check if there are any underground impediments at the proposed statue location that have not been picked up by early radar checks.
The work has been taking place near the Glasgow Blood Donor Centre in Nelson Mandela Place, which was renamed in his honour on June 16, 1986, to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the Soweto Uprising, when school students protested against the imposition of the Afrikaans language in schools.
Such an evaluation is sometimes requested as a condition of planning consent or on advice from the planning authority, prior to the application being submitted or determined.
Once analysed, the results of the dig should enable a building warrant to be granted, which will then allow the charity to proceed to launch a competition to find a sculptor.
Brian Filling, chair of the Nelson Mandela Scottish Memorial Foundation, said: “Following inspection and consideration of the findings of the dig, we hope to proceed to discharge the planning conditions and apply for a building warrant.
“When the building warrant is issued by the city council we will launch the competition for the design of the statue. We would envisage the competition being launched in a couple of months, depending on how long it takes for the building warrant to be issued.”
The charity has sourced a large block of granite from South Africa for the statue’s plinth, with the charity in “the process of its acquisition”. Once it arrives in Scotland, the plinth will be finished in Aberdeenshire.
October 9 will mark 30 years since Mandela addressed a crowd of thousands in Glasgow’s George Square while on a visit to thank the city.
Mr Filling, who played an instrumental role in bringing Mr Mandela to Glasgow in 1993, hopes the statue could be in place by October, although he concedes that exactly when it will be unveiled will “depend on several factors”.
He said: “October 9 is the 30th anniversary of Mandela’s visit to Glasgow. December 5 is the 10th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s death. So, it is fitting that the competition for the design of the statue is launched in 2023.”
READ MORE: Glasgow was on the right side of history over Nelson Mandela support, says former Lord Provost
In the meantime, the Nelson Mandela Scottish Memorial Foundation is continuing its final push to raise an additional £20,000 towards the final costs involved in erecting the bronze statue, having already raised about £130,000 to date via its “Make it happen! – Scotland’s Mandela Statue” crowdfunding campaign.
Mr Filling added: “We are still fundraising. Costs of energy and transportation related to the statue, as everyone is well aware, have risen. In addition, we are continuing to raise funds for our educational work.
“Some of this educational work is in conjunction with the West of Scotland Development Education Centre, whom we commissioned to produce the learning resource for schools ‘When Mandela danced in the Square’.”
To donate to the statue campaign, click here
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