Johannesburg - The ANC on Monday expressed appreciation that former president Nelson Mandela had instructed in his will that a percentage of royalties due to him go to the ruling party.
“The African National Congress is deeply humbled by this contribution and is grateful to Madiba and his family,” spokesman Jackson Mthembu said in a statement.
“This generosity has been the hallmark of Madiba's life over the many decades that he has been a dedicated servant of our people.”
He said the contribution would go towards recording and dissemination of material that contained and promoted the ANC's policies and principles.
An executive summary of Mandela's will was made public in Johannesburg on Monday. Reading from the summary, Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke said the anti-apartheid icon instructed that a percentage of royalties owing to him or his estate be paid to the ANC.
“There is a direction that the trustees of the NRM Family Trust should at their sole discretion, consider paying, subject to availability of funds, a minimum of 10 percent and a maximum of 30 percent of the royalties to the African National Congress,” he said.
The royalty payments had to be used at the discretion of the ANC's national executive committee.
Mthembu said the party welcomed the contribution and assured it would be used as directed.
“It will be kept as a special fund used to propagate the values Madiba stood for. The ANC commits itself to upholding and preserving this legacy which is an embodiment of the calibre of leaders who formed and led the ANC, guiding our struggle over decades,” he said.
Sapa