DAILY SUN FRONT PAGE
Daily Sun (October 15 2014) - WHEN SHE was left out of Nelson Mandela's will she remained silent.
But that was in February and the Mother of the Nation has decided to fight for the house in Qunu.
SHE SAYS SHE HAS TRADITION AND CUSTOM ON HER SIDE!
"Mama Winnie is concerned no one is taking care of the property," said advocate Mvuzo Notyesi.
"There was a robbery recently and some of Madiba's items are being sold by strangers. It's just chaos at that house."
Notyesi told Daily Sun there were many arguments they could use but would only reveal a few at this stage, until the court replies to the application.
He said there was no clear ownership of the movable and immovable assets and said it was public knowledge the livestock were being neglected.
Yesterday, advocate Mvuzo Notyesi filed papers at the Mthatha High Court setting the wheels in motion for what should be a heated legal battle over the late statesman's house.
President Jacob Zuma, Mandela's wife Graca Machel, Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti, the Nelson Mandela Family Trust and executors of Madiba's will - which deals with about R50 million - are cited as some of the seven respondents.
The papers were also filed with the registrar of deeds in Mthatha and the master of the South Gauteng High Court.
In his will, Madiba stated that the Qunu home should be administered by the NRM Family Trust for the benefit of the Mandela family and be used by his third wife Graca Machel and her two children, Malengane and Josina Machel.
He also hoped that the house would be used to preserve the unity of the Mandela family.
Winnie (78), the mother of Mandela's daughters Zinzi and Zenani, cited customary law when she wrote to the executor of Mandela's will, deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke in August, claiming the Qunu house where Mandela is buried.
She also received the public support of abaThembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo, who said the Thembu custom allowed her to get the house along with her children by Mandela.
Mandela was a member of the abaThembu clan and the king said even though Madiba had divorced Winnie, she remained a wife of the clan as lobola was paid for her.
The king also backed Winnie's claim that it was she who had approached the Abathembu leadership asking for a stand to build the house, and that when Mandela was released in 1990, he approved the building of the house.
Mama Winnie and Nelson Mandela divorced in March 1996 and the settlement was never publicised.
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