Gunning to own SA history May 4, 2011 1:02 AM| By ------------------------------ A piece of South African history goes on auction in just over a week. ------------------------------ TREASURE TROVE: Liliesleaf Farm in Rivonia Picture: DANIEL BORN *Photograph by: *
A portion of the famed Liliesleaf Farm in Rivonia, north of Johannesburg, once the hide-out of former president Nelson Mandela, is set to be sold, with the knowledge that it may be hiding a valuable piece of history. In 2003, Mandela revealed that he had hidden his Makarov pistol - known to be the first weapon of war against apartheid - on the property. Number 5 George Avenue, Rivonia Extension 1, will be auctioned on May 12. The gun - now valued at R22-million - was a gift from former Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie, Mandela's military trainer in Ethiopia. It was apparently buried with 200 rounds of ammunition "about 50 paces west of the old kitchen", said Joff van Reenen of the High Street Auction Company. The property was the scene of the raid on July 11 1963 which saw police arrest senior leaders of the anti-apartheid movement. Two gardens and a house, which also formed part of farm, were demolished in the search for the pistol, but it is yet to make an appearance. In 2001, former President Thabo Mbeki created the Liliesleaf Trust to protect the buildings. The area to be auctioned was privately owned by pensioner Al Leenstra. The owner hopes to raise R3-million for the three-bedroomed home, which is situated on a massive area of landscaped garden in the heart of Rivonia. Van Reenen said the property has been in demand for many years, but Leenstra refused to sell it or for it to be excavated. Leenstra maintained that the pistol would be returned to Mandela should it be found while the property belonged to him. Now that it is up for grabs, whether the new owner will continue the search for the gun or use the property as a residence is anyone's guess. Van Reenen said: "We announced that this property is to be sold at our next auction and already we have had significant interest from buyers locally and abroad. "We are expecting a record turnout at this event as a result." Apart from the historical value, the property is close to the Sandton CBD and features offices, a double garage, carport, swimming pool, a security system, ample staff accommodation and storage facilities. The Sunday Times reported that neither the Nelson Mandela Foundation nor the Liliesleaf Trust would be bidding for the property, the latter due to a lack of funding. The auction takes place at Summer Place in Hyde Park on May 12. -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] .
