The 67 Blankets for Mandela Day movement began in 2013 after Zelda la Grange, Nelson Mandela’s former assistant, challenged philanthropist Carolyn Steyn to knit, sew or crochet 67 blankets for charity (one for every year Mandela spent in a form of service to South Africa). Since then the movement has distributed over 30,000 blankets and won three Guinness World Records.

With the Massive Mandela Masterpiece the 67 Blankets movement aims to break yet another record. Envisioned as the world’s largest knitted portrait, this year 67 Blankets are stitching together a colossal blanket, made from 1,764 smaller blankets (each representing a photo pixel), that when brought together depicts Nelson Mandela’s face. The plan is to create a blanket so large that it can only be fully viewed from the sky and which will even be visible from space. Put together by the inmates of Zonderwater Maximum Correctional Centre over two days, the blanket's unveiling will be filmed from the sky and broadcasted by giant screens around the prison grounds.

The day also includes entertainment from the Zonderwater Inmate Choir, Grammy-award-winning flautist and composer Wouter Kellerman, and a special pantsula performance by leading dance company Moving into Dance Mophatong. 

Should you wish to attend the Mandela celebration at Zonderwater it is important to note that security is tight and numbers are limited. To attend email your full name and contact details to info@67blankets.co.za by April 15 with the subject line "Zonderwater April 24".