Nelson Mandela's Former Home Reopens as a Private Villa

Just a few hours’ drive north of Johannesburg, in a vast landscape of pristine African bushveld, is Shambala Private Game Reserve. And here, amidst the quiet and peace, is a place for contemplation and inner reflection. A place that personifies the ideas of reconciliation and hope.

The Nelson Mandela Centre for Reconciliation has been a private home since 2001 and was closed as a mark of respect since the former President’s passing in 2013. The Centre reopens in May this year and will be available for public booking for the first time.

The house was originally built for Mandela by a close friend Douw Steyn. It was opened in 2001 as a retreat, a place where the President could receive guests, parties could meet in the spirit of friendship, against the backdrop of secluded natural beauty that is Shambala. It was also a place where Mandela and his family would come to rest. Visitors would stay in the honeycomb-shaped chalets of the nearby Zulu Camp, and come up to the Centre for Reconciliation to meet and talk.

When it opens in May, the Centre will be available to rent in its entirety for small groups and families visiting Shambala. The house will offer its guests an indoor heated pool overlooking a private waterhole, a large outdoor deck and lounge area, a large formal sitting room with a fireplace, a boardroom, a presidential suite with his and hers dressing rooms, private dining area and large living room, and five luxury bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms.

At the specific request of Nelson Mandela, the house is deliberately simple in its design. The African look and feel has been subtly carried through, local motifs are subtly used throughout. As the guest arrives, wooden palisade fencing is reminiscent of a traditional kraal; the thatched roof has the iguana elbow design woven throughout it, a symbol of good fortune. Pillars, fashioned from Leadwood trees, stand at the entrance, supporting the roof, the port-cochère and the intricately carved Rhodesian teak door frame. Chosen for their endurance, they stand unyielding, forever strong. The Mozambican style of wood carving by master craftsman Matsemela ike Nkoana was introduced as a tribute to Mrs Graça Machel’s heritage.

The interiors are cool and harmonious, filled with neutral tones and fabrics, quietly elegant, but always with the rich roots of tribal design. The art on the walls is feminine, the key piece is a large canvas of a woman gazing out, her contemplative mood reflecting all she has witnessed.

The house is a masterpiece of understatement, warm and welcoming – and a fitting tribute to an exceptional, yet humble, human being.

The Nelson Mandela Center for Reconciliation House can be rented for between ZAR 70 000 – ZAR 85 000 (£3,794 - £4,607) per night for up to 12 people sharing six double rooms.

The price includes the following:

• Luxurious en-suite accommodation
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner prepared by your private chef
• Butler service
• All soft drinks, South African wines, spirits and liqueurs
• Daytime and spot-lit night game drives and bush walks accompanied by an experienced guide
• Sundowner cruises on the Douw Steyn Dam
• Bush picnics
• Star-gazing
• Complimentary Wi-Fi

Available at a surcharge

- Transfers to and from the game reserve
- Telephone calls
- Certain special meal requests
- International wines and spirits available at a surcharge
- Spa treatments
- Big Five interaction
- Elephant back safari
- Elephant volunteer programme
- Game monitoring and research (minimum 18 years old)
- Fishing
- Guided bush walks

"The peace, tranquillity and natural harmony of Shambala serves to remind us of our own striving for reconciliation and togetherness. I am delighted to share my home here with you and hope that you will feel refreshed and inspired by your visit to this special place." - Nelson Mandela

For further information and reservations:

Shambala Private Game Reserve
Limpopo Province PO Box 423 Vaalwater 0530 South Africa
T: +27 (0)11 292 6000 | E: info@zulucamp.co.za | www.zulucamp.co.za