A statue of former president Nelson Mandela will be unveiled in Cape Town to coincide with centenary celebrations to honour South Africa's first democratically elected president who died on 5 December 2013 at the age of 95.

The bronze statue will be positioned on the balcony where Mandela stood when he gave his first address as a free man on 11 February 1990.

It will be unveiled at the City Hall on 24 July.

Executive Mayor Patricia de Lille said it was fitting that Mandela will be honoured in this way in the Mother City.

“Mandela had a very close connection with Cape Town as it was here that he was imprisoned and here that he was finally set free and delivered his first speech as a free man from the City Hall balcony," de Lille said.

MEC for Economic Opportunities Alan Winde said Mandela was one of a handful of people who could be called a global icon. 

"He selflessly gave so much of himself for the people of South Africa, but his message of peace and tolerance endeared him to the world. We wanted to celebrate him and pay tribute. For us, there was no better way to do that than by developing a route that would tell his story to the world, but also create opportunities for the people of this province.”