Glasgow could be set to honour former South African president Nelson Mandela with a city centre statue.

Plans have been submitted by the Nelson Mandela Scottish Memorial Foundation who have applied to Glasgow City Council to erect the bronze statue.

They hope the statue will be in place by 2018 which will be both the centenary of his birth and the 25th anniversary of his visit to Glasgow in 1993.

Mandela visited to accept the freedom of nine UK cities.

Glasgow became the first major city to give him the award in 1981 while he was still an inmate in Robben Island Prison.

The anti-apartheid revolutionary spent 27 years behind bars before being released in 1990.

He was then elected President of South Africa four years later.

The foundation say they want to increase the knowledge and understanding of the life and legacy of Mandela and the role played by Glasgow and Scotland in the worldwide campaign for his release and against apartheid.

They have now launched a campaign to raise £250,000 to pay for the life-size statue that will be situated on Nelson Mandela place facing down to George Square.

On their Facebook page The Nelson Mandela Scottish Memorial Foundation said: "We hope that the people of Scotland will contribute generously to the campaign to create a statue of Nelson Mandela to celebrate his centenary."

An open competition will also be launched to select a sculptor.