Theron Auctioned Mandela Meet ‘without Permission’
By WENNWednesday, October 28, 2009
CHARLIZE THERON has come under fire for allegedly auctioning off a meeting with former South African president NELSON MANDELA without his authorisation.
The Monster star attended the OneXOne benefit gala in San Francisco, California last week (22Oct09) and joined in the charity auction.
She offered up a lot which included a 20-second kiss, a trip to the 2010 soccer World Cup in her native South Africa, a safari ride and a meeting with the anti-apartheid icon.
A female bidder paid $140,000 (£87,500) for the prize, and locked lips with the Oscar winner onstage at the event.
But Theron has been rebuked for her good deed - bosses at the Nelson Mandela Foundation have confirmed she did not obtain permission to extend an invitation to meet with the former politician.
The foundation’s chief executive, Achmat Dangor, tells Beeld newspaper, “A very strict process needs to followed to get a meeting with Mandela. Not even the charity foundations Mandela himself established are allowed to auction off time with him.”
