Nelson Mandela Foundation Chief Executive Sello Hatang recently travelled to Italy, to participate in a special ceremony to honour Nelson Mandela.
Sello Hatang with the tree and stone dedicated to Madiba.
On 6 March 2014, a tree was planted and a stone unveiled in Mr Mandela’s name in the Garden of the Righteous Worldwide of Milan. He was one of six people honoured, including:
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Pope John XXIII, who during World War II saved thousands of Jews from the Nazis
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Beatrice Rohner, a Swiss woman who save hundreds of Armenian orphans from extermination by the Ottoman authorities during World War I
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Fr Giovanni Barbareschi, a Milan priest who played a leading resistance role against the fascists during World War II
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Giuseppe Sala, a Milan lawyer who helped anti-fascists, Jews and Allied soldiers escape persecution during World War II
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Fernanda Wittgens, a Milan art history teacher who saved many priceless artworks from being destroyed or stolen by the Nazis, and also assisted people to escape the fascists
During the special tree-planting ceremony in the Garden of the Righteous Worldwide, on Milan’s Monte Stella hill, Hatang spoke in memory of Mr Mandela.
On the evening of 6 February, he also attended a classical concert dedicated to the righteous at the Palazzo Marino, the seat of the Milan City Hall.
Click here to view a gallery of images from the event.