'Mandla Mandela does not talk for the family'

NDABA Mandela has lashed out at his older brother Mandla Mandela, who is part of a committee campaigning to oust AbaThembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo.

Mandela was responding to media reports that his brother had been part of a meeting where a collective decision was taken to recall Dalindyebo.

He had attended the meeting in his capacity as the head of the Mandela family

An AbaThembu royal committee comprising 19 royal houses wrote to President Jacob Zuma, cooperative governance and traditional affairs minister Richard Baloyi, Eastern Cape premier Noxolo Kiviet and local government and traditional affairs MEC Mlibo Qoboshiyane, pleading with them to replace the king with someone whose conduct befitted high office.

The group accuses the king of smoking dagga publicly in the presence of senior members of the family and publicly speaking of his sexual interest in some of his female relatives. And last year, it was reported how Dalindyebo had snubbed the funeral of his fifth wife, Nolwazi, in an apparent protest against Bhisho’s inadequate contribution towards the funeral of the late queen.

“Mandla cannot speak on behalf of the family. He has lost all credibility and authority to speak for the family,” Ndaba Mandela said yesterday.

Mandela said his brother’s claims of representing the family were a “misrepresentation”.

“He never represents the family in anything. This is very disrespectful to the family as well as my grandfather who loves the king.

“It is disrespectful to the family as a whole. He [Mandla] must stop roping in the family. He has no credibility whatsoever.

“Mandla has his own agenda,” Ndaba Mandela added.

Contacted yesterday, Mandla Mandela said the meeting he had attended had nothing to do with the Mandelas, and he had been invited as a chief.

“This is a royal council matter and not a Mandela matter. I attended a meeting convened by the royal council with other invited chiefs. No such collective decision that you allege was taken at this meeting. This was just a meeting for the royal council to inform heads of royal families about the matter of the king and how they have decided to handle [it],” he said. “They were not there to seek our support as the Mandelas but to inform us of their decision as this matter can only be decided by the royal council who handle all disputes in the royal family,” he said.

Thanduxolo Mtirara, who is the chairman of the committee, said those who had attended the meeting all agreed with the ousting of the king.

“Those are the people who made a decision that he [Dalindyebo] must be recalled. I do not want to get involved in Mandela issues. Procedurally, I think they should have sat with Mandla Mandela and discussed this,” Mtirara said.

Ndaba Mandela added: “Many times we have met him [Mandla] to try and guide him and to assist him. He agrees at the time but then does the opposite. We are caught off-guard by his actions.

“I am with the king. This is just Mandla who is out on a limb. I do not know who else he is with on this, but he is not with the family.”

An elder in the Mandela family who asked not to be named called Mandla Mandela “power hungry”.

“He thinks kingship is politics. He does not understand kingship. He is taking this lightly. He thinks he is better than the people who advise him.”

.