The farm where Nelson Mandela started his anti-apartheid journey is at risk of closing for good
Liliesleaf Farm, where Nelson Mandela started his plan to throw out the apartheid regime is at risk of closing for good due to COVID-19, but also due to allegations of malfeasance.
This farmhouse holds a lot of significance in South African history, as this farmhouse was used as a secret base to over-throw the apartheid system at the time.
Within this secret base, there were a number of activists who used this space to have critical debates and to share ideas with one another. This included Ahmed Kathrada, Denis Goldberg, Govan Mbeki (father of president Thabo Mbeki), Joe Slovo, Walter Sisulu, and of course Nelson Mandela.
Despite that the farm has become apart of South African history, the farm is at risk of permanent closure due to COVID-19. The government had rejected to give out financial support to the organisations that runs the property.
Due to this, the owner of the property, Nicholas Wolpe, was unable to pay staff, forcing him to close up for the unforeseeable future.
When Wolpe went public about this, officials accused Wolpe of misusing funds donated by the country's arts of culture department.
There have been allegations of malfeasance within the South African government, leading many to become cynical over their future