Nelson Mandela Announces Second “46664” Concert

Former South African President Nelson Mandela has announced that he will host the annual “46664” concert, to help battle the AIDS pandemic on the continent. The second 46664 concert will take place at the Fancourt Hotel and Country Club Estate on March 19, 2005. The concert is being funded by philanthropist Professor Dr. Hasso Plattner, […]

Former South African

President Nelson Mandela has announced that he will host the annual “46664”

concert, to help battle the AIDS pandemic on the continent.

The second 46664

concert will take place at the Fancourt Hotel and Country Club Estate on March

19, 2005.

The concert is

being funded by philanthropist Professor Dr. Hasso Plattner, co-founder and

chairman of SAP.

The focus of this

year’s event is inline with the theme of World AIDS Day this year, which

will be Women, Girls, HIV and AIDS.

"46664 South

Africa will build on the success of our truly memorable concert in Cape Town

last year,” Mandela said in a statement issued yesterday (Dec. 22). “It

will serve to support the efforts of the Nelson Mandela Foundation and to show

the world that South Africa is really addressing this most vital issue…

and help in particular the growing numbers of women infected and affected by

HIV/AIDS.”

Mandela said the

concert will feature prominent international female stars. The line up will

be revealed in early 2005.

Last year’s

concert took place at Green Point Stadium in Cape Town.

The event drew

an audience of 40,000 people and was broadcast to hundreds of millions of people

internationally.

A CD featuring

50 Cent, Beyonce, Shakira, David Bowie, Britney Spears and others was issued

as well to support Mandela’s push to raise awareness of the disease and

call other governments on the continent into action.

Rapper/producer

Missy Elliot and R&B divas Alicia Keys and Beyonce also supported Mandela’s

effort earlier this year, by donating fifty cents from each ticket sold on their

“Ladies First Tour” to the 46664 campaign.

46664 was the prison

number of Nelson Mandela on Robben Island, Cape Town. He served a total of 27

years, while fighting apartheid in South Africa. He was released in 1990.

According to the

Nelson Mandela Foundation, over 25% of the South African population is affected

by the HIV/AIDS virus.

Plattner is also

a member of South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki’s International

Task Force on Information, Society and Development.