Described as a holy grail for South African historians, the gun Nelson Mandela buried almost 50 years ago is nowhere near being reunited with its original proprietor. The owner of the property where the gun is supposedly buried, originally part of Liliesleaf farm, is at loggerheads with museum officials representing the Liliesleaf Trust.

The story goes that in July 1962 Nelson Mandela took the gun he received, wrapped it in foil and an army uniform, and then buried it under a tin plate along with 200 rounds of ammunition at Liliesleaf farm – the ANC’s old armed wing’s headquarters.

The gun, a semi-automatic Makarov pistol, was reportedly received from the colonel in charge of Mandela’s military and political training in Ethiopia. The instructions for the gift are attributed to have come from Emperor Haile Selassie.

Mandela was arrested soon after burying the weapon and charged in what became known as the Rivonia Trial in 1963. In the decades that followed a number of new buildings emerged at Liliesleaf, including the house above the pistol’s purported hiding place.

Al Leenstra, the homeowner, accused the trust of twisting the facts to manipulate public emotion through his lawyer. He has reportedly offered to sell it at a reasonable price, but obviously not reasonable enough for Liliesleaf.

Nick Wolpe, chief executive of the Liliesleaf Trust, was asked by Mandela in 2003, “Have you found my gun?” Which Nick, needless to say hadn’t. Nick is eager to search the neighbouring property, but says he is now “being held to ransom” by an asking price of R3 million to buy it.

Big bucks if you’re not even sure if the gun is even there anymore.

Anyway, the hopes of returning the gun – estimated to be worth a cool R22 million – to South Africa’s first democratic president, or to the ANC in time for its centenary next year, appear to be fading as the two parties continue to bicker over access to the property.

[Source: Guardian]