CEO SleepOut explains Mandela cell auction – apologises for offence caused
The trustees of the CEO SleepOut have issued a statement after receiving significant backlash for auctioning a night in Nelson Mandela’s historic prison cell on Robben Island.
The auction was pulled from the group’s website, and Robben Island management said it would “never ever offer anyone Mandela’s cell.”
“The Trust would like to extend their sincere apologies if they have offended anyone in their quest to raise funds for worthy causes, as this is certainly not its intent,” it said.
“The CEO SleepOut Trust has as its goal to receive donations from third parties in relation to The CEO SleepOut Events, provide funding and support services, and ensure the funds are disseminated to the appointed Primary Beneficiaries with absolute transparency and accountability.
It added that it had been in ongoing discussions with Robben Island since early 2017 regarding the 2018 Event.
“In March 2018 the CEO SleepOut trustees visited Robben Island to meet with the Robben Island board,” it said.
“At this meeting all of the campaigns relating to the 2018 Robben Island Event were mutually strategized and subsequently agreed upon which included the following main elements”:
- The CEO SleepOut project was given access to all the maximum-security jail cells for the event;
- It included the use of the maximum-security courtyard as well as Nelson Mandela’s Cell (number 7);
- The auction of the number 7 cell was agreed upon;
- The CEO SleepOut project was given exclusive use of the required infrastructures at Robben Island to see the Event come to fruition, including the exclusive use of the Robben Island Ferries after the last public ferry at 14:00 on the 18th July. Access to their vehicles on the island, access to their tour guides, who are all former prisoners, access to water and electricity and access to the lime quarry and a night tour of the island.
Read: Here’s how much it will cost to spend a night in Mandela’s Robben Island cell
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