Blanket Knitted to Pay Tribute to Mandela Sets Guinness Record

A 3,133 square metres blanket, knitted together by people of six countries including India to pay tributes to the legacy of South African anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela, today 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.

"It snowballed beyond my wildest dreams imaginable!" said an ecstatic Steyn as the Guinness World record officials announced the result.

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

Sello Hatang, CEO of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, welcomed the good news amid week-long xenophobic violence in parts of the country.

The South African army has been deployed to areas that remain volatile after a spate of attacks targeting immigrants.

"This is a very proud moment for all involved and it shows we can survive anything that comes our way, including inequality and xenophobia," said Hatang.