Auction for Mandela's cell key postponed in South Africa

An auction of a key to a South African cell where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, the symbol of the struggle against apartheid and who later became the country's first black president, has been postponed to an unspecified date, the auction house announced Friday.

The cell key in Robben Island Prison, where Mandela spent 18 years of his 27 years in prison under the apartheid regime, was scheduled to be auctioned by Guernsey House on January 28.

The house announced on its website that the auction, in which Mandela-related items were also to be auctioned, had been postponed indefinitely "pending investigations" by the South African Heritage Agency.

The agency asked Guernes, the organizer of the event, to "stop the auction" because it believed that there were "objects that came out of South Africa without the necessary permits," auction house president Arlan Ettinger told AFP by phone.

South African Minister of Arts and Culture Nathi Mthwithwa welcomed the decision to suspend the auction.

"The key symbolizes the agonizing history of South Africa, but it also represents the victory of the human spirit over evil," the minister said in a statement.

"This key is living proof of South Africans' long path to freedom, and it belongs to the people of South Africa. As a result, it must be legally returned to the country," he added.

In addition to the key, the auction includes a collection of Mandela's belongings, including a T-shirt he famously wore, sunglasses and pens for official autographs.

The proceeds from the auction will go to fund the construction of a park in honor of Mandela in his hometown, where he was buried.

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