CEO SleepOut defends plans to auction off a night in Madiba’s cell
South Africa's annual CEO SleepOut has defended its plans for one of the participants to spend the night in former president Nelson Mandela’s cell on Robben Island.
The opportunity for a CEO to spend the night in the cell has received quite a bit of backlash on social media.
An auction will be held where the highest bidder will spend a night in Cell 7, the very cell in which Madiba spent 27 years.
CEO SleepOut spokesperson, Liane McGowan, says the event was moved to later in the year due to a request from an international organisation and not due to the backlash it is receiving.
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"We are asked if we could move the event to line with a different international even taking place in South Africa later on the year also in honour of Madiba.
"Due to the international interest to ensure we can raise funds for the Prison to College Pipeline who is a secondary beneficiary. They are launching their event in Brandvlei on Madiba's birthday.”
She says the money will help fund for prisoners who want to further their education.
The Nelson Mandela Foundation, meanwhile, says it has no ties to the CEO SleepOut or its plans to auction off a night in Mandela’s cell.
The foundation's Lunga Nene says it has no say as to what happens on Robben Island or Madiba’s cell.
Nene adds that people are free to interpret Madiba’s life as they see fit.
