Mvezo, Eastern Cape - Nelson Mandela's grandson launched a scathing attack on his family on Thursday after the Eastern Cape High Court ordered him to give up the bones of his father and two other relatives.
The individuals involved in the court case against him were “coincidentally” the same family members who were suing directors of Mandela's trust, Mandla Mandela told reporters at his home in the village of Mvezo, outside Mthatha.
“I seem to have angered people by distancing myself from the case against advocate George Bizos, (Human Settlements) Minister Tokyo Sexwale and (lawyer) Bally Chuene appointed by Madiba to be in charge of Harmonieux Investment Holdings and Magnifique Investment Holdings,” Mandela said.
“I still refuse to be associated with court actions that are a clear squabble over my grandfather’s monies.”
On Wednesday, 15 members of the family, including Mandela's daughters Makaziwe Mandela, Zindzi Mandela-Motlhajwa, Zenani Mandela-Dlamini, his ex-wife Winnie-Madikizela Mandela and his wife Graca Machel were granted an urgent order for Mandla to return the bones to Qunu.
The remains are those of Mandela's eldest son Madiba Thembekile, who died in a car accident in 1969; Mandla Mandela's father Makgatho Mandela, who died in 2005; and Mandela's first daughter Makaziwe Mandela, who died as an infant in 1948.
The bones were re-buried at a ceremony at a gravesite at Nelson Mandela's home in Qunu on Thursday afternoon.
Mandla Mandela said his aunt Makaziwe, Mandela's fourth child from his first marriage to Evelyn Mase, was supposed to be a unifier and reconciler in the family, but had so far “sown division and destruction in that family”.
He questioned the timing of the court action against him.
“We repatriated these remains in 2011 after following all the customary rituals and protocols,” he said.
“For the past two years, the people on the list have never raised concerns about the repatriation of these remains. Two years later, when my grandfather is gravely ill in hospital, this matter is brought up as an extreme urgent matter. I am still struggling to date why the matter is urgent now when it has never been urgent in the past two years.”
He said he had the right to determine where his father, Makgatho, was buried.
“I indicated to the family that the rightful claimant, ie the children of the deceased, do have a right to repatriate the remains if now they are against them being in Mvezo.
“The issue of the court came as a surprise to me since the rightful claimants were aware of my position. The issue was different in as far as my own father Makgatho was concerned, because I hold the right to determine where he is buried.”
He also hit back at his brother Ndaba for claiming Mandla was “illegitimate”.
“As for my brother Ndaba, who claims in media reports that I was born out of wedlock, insulting my mother in the process, I want to remind him that I do not want to hang our dirty linen as a family in public, but he leaves me with no choice,” Mandela said.
“He knows very well that my father impregnated a married woman and he is the result of that act.”
Ndaba's mother Zondi Radebe was married to Lucky Zachariah Mojahi, he said. The couple had two children, Amanda and Sydney.
“As for the remaining two brothers, we all know they are not my father’s children. Attempts to conduct a DNA test have been resisted.”
It seemed as though “anyone could claim to be a Mandela and demand to be part of (the) decision-making process of the family”, he said.
“Individuals have abandoned their own families and heritage and decided to jump on the Mandela wagon,” he said.
Mandla Mandela staunchly defended his chieftaincy in Mvezo.
“I am the chief of Mvezo. This chieftaincy was expropriated from the Mandelas in the 1920s, with my great-grandfather Nkosi Mphakanyisa Mandela exiled to Qunu. Seventy years later we were offered an opportunity to assume our rightful place in the kingdom.
“Since my father was late and my grandfather indicated that due to his age he cannot assume the chieftainship, he asked me to take the responsibility.
“Though reluctant to leave my life and trek to the rural area, my grandfather reminded me that my first responsibility should be that of service to our people.”
He said Mvezo was “bedevilled” by excessive poverty and unemployment. It had no sanitation or water, and high levels of high school dropouts and HIV/Aids infections.
His focus was to deal with these problems and to bring development to Mvezo.
Mandla Mandela has been widely criticised for overseeing the construction of a multi-million-rand hotel and conference centre in Mvezo.
The paved road to the thatched compound is estimated to have cost between R100 million and R300m to build.
Nelson Mandela is on life support, and in a critical condition in a Pretoria hospital. - Sapa