Winnie and Mandla cast shadows

As the world fondly remembers former president Nelson Mandela today, a year after his passing, turmoil reigns in the family.

On one side, his ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela wants what she claims rightfully belongs to her, while his grandson Mandla Mandela is also before the courts for an assault charge.

Madikizela-Mandela unleashed a legal claim against the late Mandela three months after his will was read out to the family and public. She wants the Qunu property, where Mandela is buried, to be given to her.

Mandla allegedly assaulted and pointed a gun at a man a few months ago during a squabble in Mthatha’s Sprigg Street. The case is still continuing at the Mthatha Magistrate’s Court.(Continue)


In her court paper, MadikizelaMandela claimed she had sourced the property from AbaThembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo in 1989, while Mandela was still in prison.

She did not only make such revelations but cast doubts at Mandela’s credibility after she claimed that:

● The marriage certificate submitted to the Witwatersrand Supreme Court during the divorce proceedings, which she was not part of, was in fact fraudulent;

● Mandela may have committed land fraud when he “donated” land to himself, improperly using the Land Act; and

● Mandela’s lawyer at the time, Ismail Ayob confirmed to MadikizelaMandela’s lawyers that no divorce settlement had been discussed.

By the time of going to press, Madikizela-Mandela had not responded to questions sent to her about the matter.

Also, in the line of fire was the AmaDlomo royal family spokesman Daludumo Mtirara who was threatened with a R10-million lawsuit after he criticised Madikizela-Mandela for being “opportunistic and greedy”.

Mtirara was forced to retract his statement. This week he told the Daily Dispatch that the royal family would not comment on the Qunu property claim.

FEUDING FAMILY: Nelson Mandela’s daughter Makaziwe Mandela, left, his grandson Ndaba Mandela and granddaughter Ndileka Mandela listen to proceedings in the case against Mandla Mandela in the Mthatha High Court

“At the moment we do not have any comment as the AmaDlomo royal family. There is no change to what we have said before. Right now we do not want to disturb this time with the issue of claims and other negative stuff. We will look into that next year. Our objective is that everything pertaining to Madiba’s remembrance goes smoothly.” Gender and cultural issues analyst Nomboniso Gasa said many women in South African were short-changed through customary law and systems or the patriarchal civil law, and that Madikizela-Mandela was not one of them.

“It is rather curious that Madikizelawaited almost 20 years and immediately after [former] president Mandela’s death, she contests the divorce.

“Now she asserts the divorce was fraudulent? On what basis did she accept the divorce settlement? She did not contest Mandela’s marriage to Mrs [Graca] Machel.

“On customary claims to the estate, Madikizela-Mandela has absolutely no customary claim to Mandela’s estate, including the property in Qunu. She asserts that the land was secured by her. If this is true, this was in the context of marriage and it was a family home.”

Gasa said it was “shocking and unseemly” to see Madikizela-Mandela fight to live in the home of her exhusband where his parents and children are buried.”

Cultural expert Nokuzola Mndende said although the matter was an internal Mandela family matter, it was worrying that such things were happening after Mandela’s death.

“It is worrying because what is happening in the Mandela family is contrary to what he was preaching.”

Madikizela-Mandela is expected to be in Qunu today to join the rest of the family to commemorate Mandela’s death one year ago.

Source: Dispatchlive