By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Nelson Mandela Foundation (NMF) has confirmed that 20th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture will be held on Saturday, 12 November 2022, at the Durban International Convention Centre in the City of eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).
This will be the first-ever Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture hosted in the province, as a demonstration of solidarity with the communities most affected by the catastrophic floods on South Africa’s eastern seaboard in April 2022, the foundation said in a statement.
Chairman of the Board, Prof Njabulo Ndebele, confirmed the date following a planning meeting with the Prime Minister of Barbados, the Honourable Mia Amor Mottley, in New York.
“Prof Ndebele accompanied by the Foundation’s Chief Executive, Sello Hatang discussed with the Prime Minister itineraries and programmes for her visit to South Africa.
“The visit will begin in Johannesburg with a tour of the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory and Sanctuary Mandela – Nelson Mandela’s former home, redesigned into a multi-purpose public facility specialising in retreat and hospitality offerings. Thereafter, the Prime Minister will proceed to King Shaka International Airport for the KZN leg of her visit. The Lecture on 12 November will be followed by a community dialogue exploring the local impacts of global climate change and by a visit to the Nelson Mandela Capture Site in Howick, which this year marks the 60th Anniversary of Madiba’s arrest by the Apartheid police in 1962.
“The theme for the Lecture is Social Bonding and Decolonisation in the Context of the Climate Crisis: Perspectives from the Global South. The Prime Minister is ideally positioned to address this theme. Recently she was crowned a Champion of the Earth by the United Nations (UN) Environmental Programme. This is the UN’s highest environmental honour, awarded to her for policy leadership and advocacy concerning the countries most vulnerable to the climate crisis.
The foundation has thanked the KZN provincial government for hosting this year event at what will be the first Lecture in the form of a physical gathering since 2019.
Tickets have been made available to the public through TicketPro.
Meanwhile the 2022 Ride4Hope edition will see over 70 cyclists from all walks of life joining hands to raise funds for the Foundation, as well as schools and charitable causes along the route.
As an official Nelson Mandela Day initiative, Ride4Hope started in 2018. With the support of partners like Blue Bulls Rugby, Lions Rugby, Lions Cricket, Nedbank Running club and individual celebrities, the initiative has raised R2.6 million towards for charitable work.
Please visit www.legacyride4hope.com for more information about the event and how to be part of the 2023 event.