The 33rd anniversary of late former President Nelson Mandela’s historic release from Victor Verster Prison (now the Drakenstein Correctional Centre), from where he took his first steps as a free man after 27 years of incarceration, falls on Saturday 11 February.
To commemorate it, the prison will host the 11th 27 for Freedom Race day at the Drakenstein Correctional Facility outside Paarl, on the R301.
For the serious runner there is the scenic revised 27 km run or walk (symbolic of the number of years spent in jail by the former president). For the less serious runners, the 10 km run or walk and the 5 km Freedom Route are on offer.
The day promises to be a family fun day of sports, history and entertainment. Participants will walk or run along the same route Madiba took as he left prison from Madiba House, Long Walk to Freedom, to the Madiba statue at the entrance of the correctional facility.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Madiba’s death, one of the world’s most abiding symbols of the struggle for human rights.
- Online entries close on Sunday (29 January) at topevents.co.za.
