May 25, 2013 -- Updated 1331 GMT (2131 HKT)
"This shouldn't be happening," said a visibly nervous and frustrated
court sheriff as he knocked at the gate belong
Financial, family woes of Winnie Mandela, South Africa's 'Mother of the Nation'
May 24, 2013 -- Updated 1555 GMT (2355 HKT)
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Winnie Mandela threatened with having her belongings sold off to pay school fees
- Mandela, ex-wife of South African icon Nelson Mandela, is regarded by many as "mother of the nation"
- Commentators say Winnie Mandela increasingly isolated from political and biological families
- Nelson Mandela's family embroiled in legal battle over former political prisoner's money
Joe Maluleke and two
other officials arrived at Winnie Mandela's house in Soweto on Tuesday
to execute a court order granting a Johannesburg school permission to
auction her belongings and pay an old debt. Among the goods meant to go
under the hammer were 50 paintings, a round table, chairs and a silver
tea set.
The problems started when
the ex-wife of Nelson Mandela, the country's first black president and
an international icon, registered her great niece, Nobantu Vutela, as a
boarding student at Abbotts College in Northcliff, Johannesburg, according to court papers filed in 2008.
The accommodation fees
for the year were 40,000 South African rand -- the equivalent of about
$4,000 today. Winnie Mandela, 76, who earns an annual salary of around
$90,000, as a member of parliament, was given six months to pay the full
amount. It's unclear why she and not the girl's own parents enrolled
her into the private school.
Winnie keeps to herself, but we still call her 'mother of the nation' and no-one wants to see her humiliated
Neighbor of Winnie Mandela
Neighbor of Winnie Mandela
Despite the documents
stipulating that R10,000 ($1000) be paid up front, lawyers representing
the school say Mrs Mandela never paid a cent. They started instituting
proceedings against her in October 2008. The case dragged on for five
years. A lawyer acting on behalf of the school told CNN Mrs Mandela made
her first payment last year but that she still owes nearly $5,000 with
interest included. Mrs Mandela's lawyer is disputing the interest
amount.
With dozens of
journalists surrounding him, not a single bidder in sight, and Mrs
Mandela's bodyguards stationed on the other side of the wall, Sheriff
Maluleke knocked in vain. People could be seen moving around inside and
outside the house, but nobody came out to let the sheriff in. At one
point a car sped out of the premises using a side entrance. It is
unclear who was in the car.
Maluleke was instructed
by lawyers to get a locksmith and force his way into Mandela's house,
but he was understandably reluctant. At one point a spectator shouted,
"Why don't you climb over the wall?" The sheriff's irritated retort:
"And get shot at?"
The tense standoff lasted
for about two hours. Maluleke left Winnie Mandela's property
empty-handed and dejected. He later admitted that the task he was
expected to carry out was a difficult one. "Is it because she is the
mother of the nation?" he was asked. "Exactly," he responded.
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On Monday night Winnie Mandela's lawyer Yandisa Dudula had been frantically trying to stop the auction from going ahead.
"Mrs. Mandela has given
me a check for R16,000 ($1,696), and another R4,000 ($212) has been
given to the sheriff," he told CNN. "The auction is not necessary."
The school's lawyers
insisted on getting the money in cash, failing which, they said the sale
of her goods would go ahead as planned.
Confused neighbors looked on as the spectacle at Mandela's property unfolded.
"We thought she had
money, it is very surprising that her goods are now having to be
auctioned in order to recoup funds for a debt," one of them told CNN.
When asked what it is
like to live next door "the mother of the nation," the neighbor said,
"We never see her. When the old man (Nelson Mandela) lived in Soweto he
would walk around, shake people's hands, greet and talk to them, he even
invited us into his home."
"Winnie keeps to
herself, but we still call her 'mother of the nation' and no-one wants
to see her humiliated," the neighbor said.
Commentators say Winnie Mandela has become increasingly isolated, not only by her political family, the ruling African National Congress, but seemingly by her biological family as well.
"Internal tensions
within the family could have played a role in no one coming to Mrs
Mandela's aid," political analyst Somadoda Fikeni told CNN. "The family
is fragmented and recent squabbles over money have further emphasized
these divisions."
Two of Nelson Mandela's
daughters -- Makaziwe Mandela and Zenani Dlamini -- are currently
embroiled in a legal battle over the former political prisoner's money.
They have filed court papers in an attempt to remove Mandela's longtime
lawyer and friend, 84-year-old George Bizos, and others as directors of companies owned by the Mandela Trust.
The children's legal
battle over their iconic father's monies has come under heavy criticism
in South Africa. Bizos told local media the lawsuit is "a ploy to
resuscitate the sale of Mandela's artworks" whose proceeds go to the
companies at the center of the dispute.
The Mandela family is fragmented and recent squabbles over money have further emphasized these divisions
Somadoda Fikeni
Somadoda Fikeni
Andrew Mlangeni, who was
incarcerated on Robben Island with Mr Mandela, told CNN: "This is a
matter that should have been resolved internally within the family."
Makaziwe recently
rebutted accusations that her intentions are motivated by greed, telling
the New York Times: "This issue that we are greedy, that we are wanting
this money before my dad passes away is all nonsense."
The feud over Nelson
Mandela's millions and now the threat of an auction at his former wife's
residence underscore the contradictions and complexities in what many
consider South Africa's political "royal family."
This is by no means Winnie Mandela's first brush with the law, although for years many saw her as untouchable.
The former freedom
fighter was implicated in the 1980s murder of 14-year-old anti-apartheid
activist Stompie Seipei. Her then-husband, Nelson Mandela, stood by
her, despite a mountain of damning evidence. In 1991 she was convicted
of kidnapping Seipei and for being an accessory to assault, but her
six-year jail term was reduced on appeal to a fine and a suspended
sentence.
In 2003 Mrs Mandela was
convicted for theft and fraud in connection with an elaborate bank loan
scheme where the ANC party letterhead was used to obtain loans for bogus
employees including her youngest daughter Zinzi. The conviction carried
a jail term, but that sentence too was suspended.
A few months ago police
confirmed that they have reopened the murder case of two more former
freedom fighters, allegedly last seen at her house more than 20 years
ago. Their bodies were exhumed in March.
Musical tribute to Nelson Mandela
Securing the release of Nelson Mandela
Securing the release of Nelson Mandela
From prison number to fashion line
In recent years, "the
mother of the nation's" influence in the country and within the ruling
party has waned, and the protection she once enjoyed along with it. Last
year she was voted second-last in the party's national executive
committee. She had been top of the list at the previous ANC conference
in 2007.
Still, respected
columnist and journalist Justice Malala says he is astonished Winnie
Mandela couldn't get help from a single one of her former comrades.
Malala told CNN: "It's
great that she was paying for her great niece's school fees but I'm
surprised that firstly she didn't feel she could raise the money from
her own salary and secondly that no-one in the ANC was willing to help
her. She could have also approached the Mandela Trust. Mandela has given
money to president Jacob Zuma before when he was in trouble."
Perhaps the most
astonishing part of the tale is why her children and grandchildren
appear to have stood by and watched as threats of an auction became more
serious.
Two of her grandchildren, Zaziwe and Swati Dlamini have recently launched a reality show in the U.S. called "Being Mandela." They also have a clothing line named "Long Walk to Freedom"
after their grandfather's autobiography. Their mother Zenani Dlamini,
Winnie's eldest daughter, is South Africa's ambassador to Argentina.
Despite the family's many ventures and connections, Winnie's lawyer says money isn't always readily available.
Winnie Mandela has often courted controversy, but she is still adored by many in South Africa.
She endured years of
torture, torment, banishment and imprisonment by the apartheid regime
while fighting resolutely for racial equality in the country.
And despite her legal
and financial troubles over the years, very few South Africans are
celebrating her downfall. Many of them took to Twitter to express their
solidarity. "We cannot forget Winnie Mandela who stood tall for three
decades" wrote one person.
ing to a woman still
considered by many South Africans as the "mother of the nation." FULL STORY
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