Blanket to pay tribute to Nelson Mandela sets Guinness World Record

A 3,133-square metre blanket, knitted together by people of six countries including India, to pay tribute to the legacy of South African anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela, on Wednesday set a new Guinness World Record.

Scores of volunteers worked through the night to join the hundreds of blankets knitted into a single one, covering the sprawling lawns of the Union Buildings, seat of the South African government. Guinness World Record officials verified the record.

The project was started by Carolyn Steyn last year to knit 67 blankets for Nelson Mandela Day, on which South Africans engage in some form of community service to commemorate the 67 years of his life before being freed from prison to become the country’s first democratically elected president.

The blankets will now be distributed to the needy as the often harsh winter sets in across the country.