#capture site

Rovos Rail. - On our recent Rovos Rail Durban Safari, the first excursion was an unscheduled bonus. A visit to the Nelson Mandela Capture Site where in 1962 police waved down a car on a lonely country road and at the wheel was Nelson Mandela posing as a chauffeur David Motsamayi. The arrest would ultimately see him spend those 27 years in prison. 

Today this site is marked by a museum and impressive sculpture that through an optical illusion from a distance, has 50 steel poles of varying heights merge to form an image of Mandela’s face. It’s an iconic and moving visit and you’ll want to find exactly the right spot for the photo-op. It’s an iconic and moving visit.

The temporary exhibition is hosted in the converted shed and tells a story of Nelson Mandela’s journey through life and how he built a new nation from within a conflicted South Africa and his heroic role in the struggle against Apartheid and establishing a democratic South Africa. There’s a guide avaialble on request.

For more on the Capture Site see http://www.thecapturesite.co.za. 

Open Monday to Sunday between 09:00 and 16:00. 

Directions: Take the N3 highway to Durban / Johannesburg. Outside of Howick, take the Tweedie turnoff to Lions River. Turn right onto the R103. The sculpture is 5 minutes from the N3 turnoff and is well signposted.

We knew that the Nelson Mandela Capture Site was nearby, but weren’t exactly sure where. We asked people in town where it was, they pointed us to the right, and said that we couldn’t miss it. Well, we missed it. The drive was stunning, but after about forty minutes of driving we realized that we most likely passed the site. I hopped out of the car, walked into the nearest restaurant, and asked where we could find the capture site. He gave me directions, pointed in the way from which we came, and said we couldn’t miss it. Naturally, we missed it…again. After seemingly driving past the capture site three times, we found it – fourth time’s a charm?

Travelers Tip: When coming from Howick, if you’ve passed the “Piggly Wiggly” you’ve gone too far.

We walked through the museum about Mandela’s life, but it was very poorly laid out and difficult to follow. For what it’s worth, it seems as if a new museum was in the making.

Just outside of the museum there is a freedom path which leads to the landmarked site. From up the slope, and down the street, the memorial just looks like a bunch of iron bars. As you approach, the bars begin to form Mandela’s face set against a beautiful countryside backdrop. It was a very unique sculpture and definitely worth the 30 minute pit-stop.

UNDER AFRIKAN SKIES