The Nelson Mandela Museum (NMM) was established 10 years after the release of the former South African President Dr Nelson Rholihlahla Mandela in the year 2000. The foundational principles of the museum are centered on the iconic character and leadership ethos that Mr Mandela lived by.

The Nelson Mandela Museum is located in Mthatha, Eastern Cape Province in South Africa, it is a public entity recognized and regulated under the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture. The Museum has embraced Nelson Mandela’s wishes that the museum must not be a static collection and tribute to him, but a living memorial to his values and vision, it must inspire and enrich all who visit it and serve as a catalyst for development.

The NMM operates in two sites; the Bhunga Building in Mthatha and the Nelson Mandela Youth and Heritage Centre in Qunu. The museum at the Bhunga Building in Mthatha chronicles the life of South Africa’s iconic Former President, his struggle for democracy and the end of the apartheid regime. It offers a memorable cultural experience that gives insights into the life of Nelson Mandela, with guided tours and a heritage that follows his footprints. The Meaning of Mandela Exhibition: strips back the layers of his life to reveal him as a comrade, leader, prisoner, negotiator, and finally, a statesman.

The Nelson Mandela Museum Youth and Heritage Centre, is a centre built in Qunu to serve as a catalyst for youth and community development. The Youth and Heritage Centre was officially opened in 2006 by President Nelson Mandela to reposition Nelson Mandela Museum as a centre that narrates the humble beginnings of Nelson Mandela. The sites of significance in the centre include a sliding stone where Madiba used to play with his peers, ruins of a rondel where he was named Nelson on his first day of school, a family grave site not far from the centre, a church where he was baptised and a residential place where he lies and buried.These sites will bring more activities during the operations in the centre.

The museum finds inspiration from a vision of wanting to inspire positive change in society through the legacy and values of the Nelson Mandela and the museum works every day to achieve this vision through promotion of social cohesion and nation building. The values that guide individuals, teams and all those that visit the centre are: Ubuntu; stewardship; integrity; service excellence; development and learning and innovation.

Nelson Mandela is loved and respected world-wide for his tireless energy to bring about a better life for all. Mandela insisted that the museum should not be a tribute dedicated to him, but should serve as a catalyst and springboard for the upliftment and development of the local community instead.

His Legacy Lives On