A total of 29 items belonging to the first president of democratic South Africa will go under the hammer. The auction in the US is being organised in collaboration with Nelson Mandela's eldest daughter, Makaziwe Mandela.
South Africa, which has already contested the auction for four years, sees the items as part of its heritage, and the Department of Culture in Pretoria has therefore demanded that the sale and export of the items be classified as illegal.
According to Makaziwe Mandela, the money from the auction will go towards creating a memorial garden next to her father's gravesite in eastern South Africa.
Nelson Mandela was elected president of South Africa in 1994, after spending a total of 27 years in prison for his fight against apartheid. He died in 2013.
