$300,000 for one night, Mandela's Prison

South Africa's First democratic president, spent most out of his 27 years imprisonment in South africa's Robben island prison off cape town. 

A night in his iconic 8-foot by 7-foot concrete cell will now be auctioned for charity to mark the 100 jubilee of prisoner number 46664's birthday.

Five-star hotels, Expensive wine or best food would be best option to fit rich people standard but someone's got $300,000 to give up all comforts and spend one night in prison cell that was home to nelson mandela for 18 years. 

The spokeswoman for CEO SleepOut South Africa Laian McGowan said,"The suggestion was to auction the cell to raise money to fund the Prison-to-College Pipeline, educating incarcerated people in South Africa".

Moreover she added that,"details of when the one night only fundraiser will take place, had not been finalised."

Basically it was an online bidding that started from $25,000 and reached till $300,000 and will close on July 16.

As Nelson Mandela dedicated 67 Years of his life fighting against the racial segregation in south africa until he won non-racial election in 1994.Therefore the winner will earn a chance to spend a night in Mandela's cell and the other 66 bidders will be out in island prison that, that is now a World heritage site and museum. 

However Nelson Mandela's Foundation said that,"it was not a part of the initiative and could not be responsible for the usage of Mandela's cell".

Precisely, for the charitable causes the CEO sleepout movement auctions nights in unusual places to wealthy people. The Robben Island event will raise funds for the Prison-to-College Pipeline (P2P), a scheme that began in New York to help prisoners access university-level education. The initiative will be launched in South Africa on 18 July, Mandela's birthday.

Another event would takeplace at the Liliesfarm farm in northern Johannes-berg on july 11, in a safe house for anti-apartheid fighters including mandela. 

The base was raided by apartheid security forces in 1963 and several anti-regime leaders faced the courts at the so-called "Rivonia Trial" which resulted in Mandela being jailed for life.

Executives have previously spent the night under the Mandela Bridge in central Johannesburg to raise awareness of poverty and homelessness.

The event was criticised online and in the media by some who accused it of mocking those forced to sleep rough.
 
 

ePaper - Nawaiwaqt