Robben Island Museum slams CEO SleepOut auction of Mandela’s cell

The Robben Island Museum has vehemently condemned the proposed auction of Nelson Mandela’s cell for this year’s CEO SleepOut charity event.

The response comes after it was announced that the fourth annual CEO SleepOut was to take place on the island in the former maximum-security prison.

The event’s organisers had announced via the CEO SleepOut website that there would be an auction leading up to the event, with the highest bidder winning the honour of spending the night in Cell 7, the same cell in which Nelson Mandela spent his 18-year sentence.

Bidding for Madiba’s cell opened at $250 000 (nearly R3.5 million), and by the end of Wednesday, the top bid was $300 000 (about R4.1 million).

“We are saddened that Nelson Mandela’s legacy is being exploited in this way,” said Robben Island Museum spokesperson Morongoa Ramaboa.

“As a World Heritage Site, Robben Island Museum would under no circumstances consider auctioning Madiba’s cell. The preservation of our heritage is nonnegotiable; it is a key priority for us to safeguard our valuable legacy in order to offer an authentic visitor experience,” she said.

“CEO SleepOut did enter into consultations with us earlier in the year, but the auction was never mentioned,” said Morongoa. “Talks ceased last month when we were informed that there were plans to postpone the event until November.”

“We found out through the public domain about the auction. We reached out to the CEO SleepOut organisers to ascertain whether this information was accurate, and we have yet to hear any confirmation or statement back from them.”

In the time since the Robben Island Museum’s statement was released, the auction for Nelson Mandela’s cell has vanished from the CEO SleepOut’s website. No official statement has been released explaining its disappearance. However, the auction for the chance to spend the night in the room that was a safe haven for Mandela during his political years at Lilliesleaf Farm is still up. At the time of writing, the opening bid was $250 000.

This year’s event has been branded the Nelson Mandela CEO SleepOut in honour of Madiba’s centennial year.

The CEO SleepOut aims to put business leaders, global influencers and celebrities “in the shoes of the poorest” in order to raise money for charity. In the past, the event has come under fire for being ‘poverty porn’ due to the fact that while sleeping rough, participants have had access to home comforts and warm clothing.

However, since the first event was held back in 2015, CEO SleepOut has raised more than R38 million for 315 beneficiaries.