Harsh words in Mandela family row

Nelson Mandela’s eldest son, Nkosi Mandla Mandela, has apologised to AbaThembu acting king Azenathi Dalindyebo and his family after Madiba’s great-grandson, Mayibuye Mandela, broke the family tradition and split his vote between two parties.

Mayibuye, 26, said he would vote for Black First Land First in the Western Cape and for the ANC nationally.

Mandla called this position “silly, childish behaviour from kids trying to gain recognition”.

Mayibuye, who used to live with Mandla in Mvezo, where he was studying for his matric at the Nelson Mandela School of Technology, said he left the Eastern Cape because he was not happy with what he called the “political incarceration” of Azenathi’s father, King Buyelekhaya Zwelibanzi Dalindyebo, and that was also the reason he snubbed the ANC in the Western Cape, where he now lives.

Dalindyebo, who is serving a 12-year-sentence, is, with his family and other supporters, waiting for a presidential pardon.

Mayibuye said the acting king should have mobilised the AbaThembu not to vote if the king was not released from jail.

“Azenathi should have said if the king is not released before the elections the whole region of AbaThembu should not vote,” Mayibuye said.

“He has the right to tell them that we don’t go to voting stations in Mthatha, in Thembuland, in particular, but he did not say that.”

He would have voted in the Eastern Cape if the king had been released.

Mandla lashed out at Mayibuye and apologised to Prince Azenathi.

“[Mayibuye] must go and study, finish his matric then go to university.

“We need more educated young people to lead in our family. But the question we ought to be asking is who is Mayibuye to even be addressing the acting king?

“We always respect our traditional protocol, thus it is important to ask the question if he has ever raised this within the royal house of Mandela.

“Thus we render our apology to the Dalindyebo royal family for such silly, childish behaviour from kids trying to gain recognition,” Mandla said.

Acting king Azenathi Dalindyebo’s spokesperson, Nkosi Thandisizwe Mtirara, who is also the AbaThembu royal council chair, said they were shocked by the utterances of Mayibuye and appreciated the stance taken by Mandla.

“We wholly accept the apology by Zwelivelile [Mandla’s praise name] and that he distanced the royal house of Mandela from the utterance of Mayibuye.”

Mandla is a senior traditional leader of the AbaThembu and close relative of Dalindyebo and one of the family members of the AbaThembu. –