Shopping surges but Mandela still critical

At bookstores across the concerned South African nation, stands have gone up to highlight the legacy of the former political prisoner who became South Africa's first black president.

At Exclusive Books in Johannesburg's Hyde Park centre, 26 books on Mandela are on the shelves ranging from his autobiography to his speeches, quotations and photo albums.

Shopper Amanda Coetzee grabbed a copy of Mandela's definitive "Long Walk to Freedom" paying R409 for it.

"I am ashamed because I haven't read it after all these years," she said.

"He was probably the best leader we could expect. He prevented bloodshed in South Africa at the end of apartheid and in negotiating a peaceful transition to democracy," she said.

While the 94-year-old peace icon is fighting for his life in a hospital Pretoria, new book supplies have been ordered.

"There are more people buying books now. Since last week, shoppers have been buying a lot," said book sales assistant Lucy Ngomane.

"Sales have more than doubled," she added.

"Yesterday, somebody came in and bought three copies of Long Walk to Freedom, while another took six portraits which costs R570," Ngomane added.

Assistants say Mandela sells

Similar scenes are playing out in the nearby upmarket Sandton shopping precinct, where many tourists pass through while on a visit to Johannesburg.

Bookstores and shops are seeing brisk sales of souvenirs, books and shirts bearing Mandela's image.

While Mandela's own foundation, on his chase down commercial exploitation of his image, it cannot stem the appetite for more.

The Mandela Foundation has its own authorised brand of Mandela clothing which it sells to raise funds for the charities it supports.

But at the Jacana curio store just off Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton City shopping centre, a new shipment of merchandise has just arrived.

"We get these T-shirts every year before Mandela's birthday," on 18 July, saleswoman Shana Melansky said.

Nearby, onlookers gazed at a giant six-metre bronze statute depicting a dancing Mandela which was unveiled in 2003.

Many Mandela events

The shirts are made to be sold on the statesman's birthday, locally known as "Mandela Day", which was officially declared by the United Nations in 2009, when people around the world are expected to follow his example and give their time to community work.

One of the T-shirts with Mandela's face and an inscription reads "The story depends on who wrote it" and it sells for R240, while another similar one goes for R340.

"A lot of people buy them. We have had a lot of tourists lately," Melansky said.

"Mandela sells!" said clerk Dumi at the Sowearto store, which specialises in colourful T-shirts, especially children's clothing with Mandela's face on it.

Nearby in the Stuttafords store, shoppers pick up garments sporting the "46664" logo, formerly Mandela's apartheid prison number and now the brand for his global HIV/AIDS awareness campaign.

Colourful button shirts with patterns, made famous by Mandela in the 1990s during his presidency and called "Madiba shirts" after his clan name and typically sell for about R700.

Near one of the stands engineer John Buthelezi hesitates.

"He's my hero. He is the father of the nation. But these items are too expensive," he said.

In the capital Pretoria, across the road from the hospital where Mandela has been fighting a recurring lung infection since 8 June, Godfrey Mootitsi sells a square metre of printed fabric printed Mandela's face.

Now costing R100 a piece, Mootitsi has doubled the price in weeks.

Not all those who are trying to cash-in on Mandela's ill health are happy though.

"There are many more people than usual, but they are journalists and they don't buy anything," complained a vendor, who only identified himself as Kony, in front of the great leader's former home turned museum in the township of Soweto.

Source: Sapa via I-Net Bridge