The long-running family dispute over the estate of anti-apartheid icon Winnie Madikizela-Mandela has taken a new turn, with fresh allegations that her grandson, Zondwa Mandela, is obstructing efforts to wind up the estate.
The conflict over the executorship of Madikizela-Mandela’s deceased estate has been playing out since October 2024 in the Johannesburg high court, where Zondwa initially brought an interdict application to prevent his aunt, Zenani Dlamini-Mandela, from being declared the sole executor.
He further sought an order compelling the master of the high court to appoint a senior advocate as a co-executor of the estate.
Zondwa states that following his appointment as co-executor, he discovered that the estate had allegedly been misrepresented by Dlamini-Mandela and her attorney, Ismail Ayob, as consisting of only two properties valued at R1.7m and household artefacts worth R200,000.
However, in an affidavit by Ayob on April 13, Zondwa is accused of failing to take any steps to ensure the dispute is brought to finality, despite repeated attempts to prompt him into action.
Ayob states that the delay in winding up the estate is due to Zondwa’s failure to file his heads of argument to support the claims made in the initial application.
He claims Zondwa has been uncooperative in his duties, failing to heed calls for meetings, as outlined in Dlamini-Mandela’s answering affidavit.
Despite Dlamini-Mandela filing her answering affidavit in March 2025, Ayob notes that Zondwa has failed to file his heads of argument within a reasonable timeframe, placing him in breach of court rules.
“Given the supine attitude of Zondwa Mandela, it has fallen to Zenani Dlamini to seize the initiative to set the main application down for hearing,” the affidavit states.
My siblings and I had serious concerns regarding the removal of the assets in the estate pending the winding up, and the master should investigate the decision.
— Zondwa Mandela
It says that despite nearly a month having passed since the filing of Dlamini-Mandela’s heads of argument, Zondwa has taken no steps to advance the matter.
Ayob says he approached the court on March 23 to seek a set down, as the matter is on the opposed motion roll, but was advised that it could not proceed in the absence of Zondwa’s heads of argument, necessitating a possible application to compel him.
In his founding affidavit, Zondwa presents a contrasting version of events, alleging that Dlamini-Mandela removed certain assets from Madikizela-Mandela’s Orlando West home in Soweto without authorisation from the master of the high court.
“My siblings and I had serious concerns regarding the removal of the assets in the estate pending the winding up, and the master should investigate the decision,” he states.
Zondwa says he became aware of the alleged removal of assets through a letter addressed to Dlamini by his mother, Zindzi Mandela, in June 2020.
“My mother further requested that Zenani Dlamini indicate the whereabouts of one of Mandela’s vehicles, with the intent that it should form part of the distribution of the estate,” he states.
Zindzi Mandela died on July 13 2020, aged 59, after testing positive for Covid-19.
He further claims that Dlamini-Mandela responded by indicating that the items would only be returned upon the handover of a handbag and an accounting of funeral-related funds.
“On June 28 2020, Zenani attempted to extort my mother — indicating that the items removed by her would be returned ‘when you hand over mummy’s handbag’ and provide ‘a full account of the bills that you claimed you settled with the monies received from funeral contributions’,” the affidavit reads.
Zondwa also alleges that wedding rings were removed and that other family members were allowed to “pilfer the estate” under the guise of renovating Madikizela-Mandela’s home into a national museum.
He contends that the only way the estate can be successfully wound up is if Dlamini-Mandela is removed as co-executor “and ordered to provide me with all documents relating to the estate”.
Alternatively, he argues that it is imperative that an independent third-party executor be appointed to assist in expediting the process.
In her answering papers, Dlamini-Mandela disputes these allegations.
“The modus operandi of Zondwa Mandela is to avoid attending any meetings at which constructive engagement can take place, whether to explain his appointment as co-executor or to advance the administration of the deceased estate,” she states.
“He has no interest in advancing the administration of the deceased estate or in explaining himself. Rather, his conduct as co-executor is designed to delay the administration of the estate at inopportune moments to serve his own self-interest.”
Dlamini-Mandela further contends that the scale and significance of the estate require careful investigation of all beneficiaries and assets.
“Her deceased estate cannot be simply realised, and distributions made to the heirs, without responsibly investigating whether that which falls within her estate — particularly immovable property in Soweto and various artefacts, furniture and clothing — should form part of the national heritage,” she states.
“There will be no irreparable harm to the deceased estate should Zondwa Mandela be removed as co-executor. To the contrary, the administration of the estate will be progressed.”
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