Johannesburg - In 12 years, Mandla Mandela has been married four times. He is currently in divorce proceedings with his first wife, while his two subsequent marriages have both been annulled. His track record doesn’t bode well for his most recent marriage to Rabia Clarke.
Thando Mabunda-Mandela
Mabunda-Mandela married Mandela in June 2004 in a civil ceremony and then spent most of her marriage in court fighting his subsequent marriages. She managed to get two of Mandela’s marriages annulled. She is still legally married to Mandela, though she filed for divorce in 2009. The divorce proceedings are still continuing.
She disclosed in an affidavit that Mandela is infertile, saying: “I assert that the first respondent (Mandela) has... fertility issues which render him incapable of producing an heir through natural conception.”
Anais Grimaud
Grimaud married Mandela when she was 20 years old at a traditional ceremony in 2010. Born in Réunion, she was 16 years younger than Mandela. After her marriage, she changed her name to Nkosikazi Nobubele and, the following year, gave birth to a son, Qheya II Zanethemba Mandela. In 2012, Mandela made a shocking disclosure when he denied the paternity of Qheya.
He said in a statement at the time: “The Mandela family has sent my wife Nkosikazi Nobubele Mandela (née Anais Grimaud) back to her home after it was discovered she has been having an affair with one of my brothers.”
Mabunda-Mandela succeeding in having Grimaud and Mandela’s marriage annulled in 2011.
Mbali Makhathini
Just more than a year after marrying Grimaud, Mandela took a third wife, Makhathini.
The Swazi princess married Mandela even though his first wife, Mabunda-Mandela, had been granted a court interdict against the marriage. Mabunda-Mandela managed to get the marriage annulled in 2014 after a two-year battle.
The Star