South Africa has immortalized two of its most ardent anti-apartheid movement leaders Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela with statues.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has unveiled the statues of the two most iconic liberation figures, during commemorative events in Durban, underscoring the country’s ongoing efforts to honor the architects of its democracy.

At Durban North Beach, Ramaphosa unveiled a statue of Tambo, paying tribute to his decades-long leadership of the African National Congress in exile. Oliver Tambo was in exile for over 30 years (1960–1990) while leading the anti-apartheid movement, with his primary bases of operation located in London, England, and Lusaka, Zambia.

After the ANC was banned in 1960, Tambo mobilized international diplomatic, political and financial support that kept the liberation movement alive and intensified global pressure against apartheid, helping pave the way for democratic change.

Earlier, the president unveiled a statue of Mandela at Moses Mabhida Stadium, honoring the nation’s first democratically elected president.

Mandela’s leadership following his release from prison on February11, 1990, guided South Africa through a peaceful transition from apartheid to democracy, championing reconciliation, unity and nation-building. One of the notable South Africans anti-apartheid movement leaders, Mandella – endearingly and reverently called Madiba among South Africans – was imprisoned in a cell on Robin Island for 27 years.

Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa's first democratically elected president on May 10, 1994. He led the country for one five-year term, stepping down in June 1999. He was succeeded by Thabo Mbeki.

The new monuments form part of broader heritage initiatives to preserve the legacy of the struggle generation and join other memorial sites across the country, including the Nelson Mandela Capture Site, serving as lasting reminders of sacrifice, resilience and the enduring pursuit of freedom and equality.