Cape Town - Mandla Mandela has called for an urgent meeting with Rhodes University vice-chancellor Saleem Badat to explain the “logic” behind the institution’s “absurd” decision to fund his relatives’ legal bills.
This follows a weekend report that some of the 16 Mandela family members who took Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Mandla, to court could not afford their own lawyers.
The Sunday Times reported that the Rhodes University Law Clinic had regarded some of the 16 as “indigent”.
Wesley Hayes, who represented the Mandela applicants when they approached the Mthatha High Court earlier this month to compel Mandla to return the remains of Madiba’s three children to Qunu, is the deputy director of the clinic.
Mandla, through his spokesman Freddy Pilusa, said the Rhodes University Law Clinic seemed to have “broken its own rules” by assisting some of the Mandelas.
“Mr Mandela (Mandla) finds it absurd that Mandela family members could be considered indigent… He has already instructed his attorneys to set up a meeting between him and the vice-chancellor to try and understand the logic behind this,” said Pilusa.
Pilusa said the request had been made in writing and Mandla wanted it to take place “as soon as possible”.
Attempts to get hold of university spokesperson Lebogang Hashatse failed on Sunday.
Meanwhile, prosecutors are still mulling over whether to charge Mandla for grave-tampering and have returned the case to police for further investigation.
A criminal case of tampering with a grave was opened at the Bityi police station on July 2 over the exhumation and reburial of Nelson Mandela’s three children in 2011.
They were Mandla’s father, Makgatho Mandela, who died in 2005; Mandela’s first daughter, Makaziwe, who died as an infant in 1948; and his second son, Madiba Thembekile, who died in a crash in 1969.
Prosecutors returned the docket to the police after they investigated the charge for seven days. National Prosecuting Authority Eastern Cape spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said on Sunday the police handed over the case docket two weeks ago, but it was handed back for further investigation.
“We’re still busy with it. We sent it back to the police.”
Tyali said a decision on when to charge Mandla would depend on the investigation.
“I’m not sure (when the police will return the docket), but it will depend on when the police finish their investigation.”
Pilusa said the case against Mandla was a “non-case”.
“We’ve always co-operated with the investigation and there’s nothing to it… But as far as he (Mandla) is concerned, it’s a non-case.”
The Mthatha High Court ordered the return of the remains to Qunu after Mandla’s aunt, Makaziwe Mandela, applied for an urgent interdict to retrieve them from Mvezo. - Cape Times