South African political activist and former political prisoner Andrew Mlangeni demonstrates how he used to sleep on the floor in a prison cell on Robben Island, 26 September 2016. Picture: EPA
The fourth annual CEO SleepOut will take place on Robben Island this year and one participant will spend the night in the cell Nelson Mandela occupied.
The event is being held to commemorate the Mandela centennial and to raise money for various charity groups, the primary beneficiary being the Qunu Food Security Project in the Eastern Cape.
Event organisers are hoping to attract 67 global influencers, business CEOs and celebrities to spend the night in the cells on Robben Island. Each participant needs to pledge $100,000 (around R1.2 million).
The SleepOut organisers are also hoping to make more money by holding an auction leading up to the event, with the highest bidder winning the chance to spend the night in Cell 7, the cell in which Nelson Mandela spent his 18-years on Robben Island.
Bidding for Madiba’s cell opened at $250,000 (nearly R3.5 million) and, at the time of writing, the top bid was $300,000 (around R4.1 million).
Alongside the CEO SleepOut on Robben Island, a second event will take place at Liliesleaf in Rivonia to remember the arrests of struggle stalwarts on the farm in 1963. Once again, an auction leading up to the event will be held.
“The highest bidder will spend the night in David Motsomai’s (the name used by Mandela while posing as a gardener on the property) outside bedroom, which was a safe haven for Mandela during his political years,” the site reads.
Bidding has started at $250,000 and it closes on Tuesday, July 10.
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