The Nelson Mandela Scottish Memorial Foundation is raising money to cover the cost of the sculpture. A previous application had been approved in 2017 but expired after three years. The charity wants to erect a bronze statue to the former President of South Africa outside 8 Nelson Mandela Place. It is proposed to mark “his connection with Glasgow” – the first city in the world to award its freedom to Mandela in 1981. He later visited the city in 1993 after his 1990 release from prison. Brian Filling, the charity’s chairman, submitted the planning application. He was the founding chair of the Scottish Committee of the Anti-Apartheid Movement and is the Honorary Consul for South Africa in Scotland.