It was unveiled by the Mayor of Johannesburg, Amos Masondo, on 2 October 2003, Gandhi's birthday.

The other shortlisted artists were Naomi Jacobson, Ben Omar, and Maureen Quin.

The statue depicts Gandhi as he may have appeared in his time in Johannesburg, as a young man wearing his legal gown over his suit, with his cloak blown by the breeze.

The statue contains an alarm monitored by a security company that detects vibrations arriving from theft.

[1] The statue was half funded by the city of Johannesburg, with the remainder coming from private donations.