Unique features would include:
Size - the statue has to literally stand head and shoulders above the rest.
Construction - the use of an unusual mix of materials, such as 3CR12 and aluminium cladding - both of which are made from materials mined in South Africa.
Movement - it will be the only statue of its size which rotates.
Associated attractions - a visit to the Mandela statue should be part of a bigger cultural and historical experience
Proximity - With the exception of the Acropolis in Athens and various sites in Rome, most other icons are to be found on distant islands or promontories. This statue will be within walking distance of any point in the city centre. This places it, and the activities in the precinct surrounding it, within easy reach of the people of the city and visitors alike.
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Positive spin-offs from the Nelson Mandela statue

Creation of a tourism icon: no cruise ship passing our shores, no visitor travelling up or down the Garden Route will be able to consider their trip complete without a visit to the statue of Mandela.

Immediate return: The statue will create interest and news from the moment it goes public. Tourism will benefit immediately building and construction starts as people will come to the city to see the statue being created. Construction of the statue should happen in the port itself.

People to whom it will appeal: Struggle tourists, history buffs, sight-seers, technical boffins, people drawn by the events and developments around the statue.

Rest of region: Once we have drawn people to the Nelson Mandela Metro it will be possible to attract them to the attractions of the rest of the region. The Nelson Mandela museum, his birthplace at Qunu and the university of Fort Hare all form part of the "Struggle route".

Redevelopment of the Nelson Mandela Metro city centre: The statue will provide the nucleus around the revival of the city centre.

New income streams for Portnet: With much of the container traffic moving over to Coega, it will be necessary to create new income streams for the port. The associated development of a conference centre, hotels, residential precinct, etc will create new revenue for the port authority. The goal would be to exceed the present income from the container terminal - understood to be R3-million a year.

Coega: The statue will draw attention to the Coega development and can serve as a marketing tool.

Development of beach front and mass transit system: The redevelopment of the port and city centre will provide an anchor to a beach-front light rail or bus system that can take tourists all along the beach. This can create further opportunities for developments as parking will be catered for at either end of the mass transit system. We suggest that the termination point be at the lighthouse at the end of Admiralty Way. This will mean that Technikon and UPE students can also the transit system. Tourists staying in the hotels, apartments and bed and breakfasts along the route will also use it, providing further critical mass.

Redevelopment of Baakens valley: Any revitalisation of the port will spill over into the Baakens Valley, which can be redeveloped as a Venice-style residential area.

Revitalisation of Central: Any return of business to the city centre will have an immediate positive impact on property in Central. It is important to retain this historical area, which is a tourist attraction in its own right. There will be stunning views of the statue from a number of places in Central.
Airport: The attraction of more tourists to the Metropole will increase arrivals at the Port Elizabeth airport and will justify further investment in the facilities and runways.

Symbol for unity: The project provides an icon around which business, society and the council can rally.
Upliftment: A statue trust will be able to disburse a portion of the profits from the operation of the statue and associated developments, as well as funds raised locally and internationally to various upliftment projects in the Metropole and the rest of the province.

Empowerment: People from previously disadvantaged backgrounds will benefit through being involved in the project itself and later through concessions to operate restaurants, tours, curio shops, hotels and the like.

Commemoration of Port Elizabeth's role in the struggle: Port Elizabeth's role in the struggle for liberation should be captured in the museum at the foot of the statue. The city's contribution to liberation is often under-played, and this exhibition will help put developments like the march on New Brighton station led by Oom Ray Mhlaba, the bus and consumer boycotts and the rise of future leaders from this area in their proper perspective.
Centre for development: Elsewhere in this document the possibility of an African music academy is raised. Other opportunities exist for schools of drama and art.

African child museum: Given Madiba's great love of children, it would be fitting to have a museum devoted to the children of Africa. The highlight would be an African toy section where young and old would be able to play with hand-made toys and would be taught how to make their own.
Putting commuters back on the trains: Metrorail faces declining passenger numbers in the Nelson Mandela Metro due to the movement of business away from the stations. This has led to the under-utilisation of costly infrastructure. A revitalisation of the city centre coupled with other mass transit solutions such as light rail will have huge benefits for Metrorail.

Township development: By strictly controlling the rights to the use of the trademark and the image of the statue, it will be possible to develop thriving art and craft communities and routes in the townships. The traffic along these routes will provide the basis for the development of theme restaurants, walks, craft centres, tours and the like. It will also lead to the upgrading of infrastructure. We see, for example, a rail service between New Brighton and the harbour. Tourists will be attracted to New Brighton by Red Location, craft workshops, restaurants, shebeens and the Apartheid museum.

Promoting metro business: Further opportunities will be created for crafters through the development of a metro web portal. This portal will include links to all NMM businesses, and will actively promote the capabilities of manufacturers and other businesses within the area.

Job creation: Investors react to "gut feel" as much as to numbers and spread-sheets. A metro with the vision to create an icon to Freedom at the start of the 21st century sends out a message of confidence and creative thinking. This will inspire confidence in the existing business community, and will attract new investors to both the metro and the Coega Development Zone.

Festivals: Port Elizabeth will have the infrastructure to host internationally-acclaimed festivals as well as local projects with an African flavour and global relevance. Port Elizabeth would be known as the "Festival City".

Economic empowerment: We believe that the Statue of Freedom should be developed through a Section 21, public-private partnership to ensure that the benefits are spread as far as possible. Judging by the response to the idea, we believe that the Section 21 Company will have surplus funds that can be used for economic empowerment and tourism development projects, both within the metro and beyond. Empowerment issues will be addressed at both micro as well as macro levels and the roll-out of these proposals can be seen within the larger proposal document. These projects will be administered through trusts which should, we think, be named after activists and leaders from the Eastern Cape, such as Govan Mbeki, Ray Mhlaba, Matthew Goniwe and Steve Biko.

Transport: It will be necessary to develop safe, reliable transport links between the city centre and the port, as well as along the whole beach-front. In addition, the national transport policy requires that cities reintroduce and support mass transit. Port Elizabeth is faced with the problem that the main commercial and retail developments are occurring away from the city centre and main rail routes. A rejuvenation of the city centre will benefit Metrorail and allow the city to develop mass transit systems such as trams along the beach-front and into the main residential areas. These trams will themselves become a tourist attraction, and can provide transport to and from parking areas outside the city centre.

The province: Tourism throughout the province will be boosted by tours and festivals that use the statue as the basis for their marketing. The objective will be to sell the province so compellingly to all visitors to the statue that they come back time and again to savour all the experiences that the Eastern Cape has to offer. In order to achieve this, Freedom Enterprises will work closely with Easern Cape Tourism Board, Tourism Port Elizabeth, Tourism East London, Ectour and other tourism organisations in the various towns and cities.
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Paying for the Statue
There are three aspects to the funding of this project: operational costs, capital expenditure and running costs:

Operational costs: These are the funds needed to get the project to the point where it can be marketed internationally. They include payment for the work done to date, pre-feasibility and feasibility studies, getting the support of the key stakeholders and obtaining cost estimates. Initial funding should come from the City Council, with further support from Portnet, the province, local tourism authorities and the Department of Tourism.

Capital costs: The construction of the statue, International Museum of Freedom and other support infrastructure. This will be done through an international marketing campaign that will give companies and individuals the opportunity to associate their names and brands to the International Statue of Freedom. Given the power of the Nelson Mandela "brand," we believe this offer will be over-subscribed. Surplus funds will go into the various development trusts and into providing a marketing budget to ensure we attract visitors.

Running costs: These will be generated through entrance fees, royalties, licences, concessions and related activities.
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