Mandela, a legendary life
- By Zhang Ming'ai
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E-mail China.org.cn, December 6, 2013
Family fall out
Mandela Trust owns two companies: Harmony Investment Holdings Ltd. and Shanda Investment Holdings Ltd., both companies combined are worth around 124 million euros (1.62 million US dollars).
![Former South African President Nelson Mandela waves during the 46664 concert held in his honour in Hyde Park, London June 27, 2008.[Xinhua]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20130703/001372acd6e1133dfade25.jpg "Former South African President Nelson Mandela waves during the 46664 concert held in his honour in Hyde Park, London June 27, 2008.[Xinhua]") |
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Former South African President Nelson Mandela waves during the 46664 concert held in his honour in Hyde Park, London June 27, 2008.[Xinhua] |
Mandela's two daughters Makaziwe and Zenani are both directors and executive board members of the two companies. Makaziwe is selling "Mandela wine," while Zenani is selling clothes carrying Mandela's name. Previously they have been criticized for cashing in on the reputation of their family, yet the women still hope the company can continue to sell Mandela's art collection. Nevertheless, their hopes and demands were shot down by three partners of Mandela who have accompanied the anti-apartheid hero for many years and help him run the companies.
Mandela once called a family meeting regarding the legacy issue. He suggested putting most of the family's financial legacy into the Mandela Trust. His third wife and favorite (and eldest) grandson could both get a share and the rest would be distributed among his sons and daughters. As it turned out, there were great differences among the family members and the meeting ended rather unhappily.
On April 8, 2013, Mandela's daughters sued Mandela's partners for the rights to Mandela's artworks and control of the companies.
Back in 2008, Mandela's sons and daughters had once quarreled over the issue of legacy distribution and any future funeral arrangements for their father. Despite Mandela begging his second wife and two daughters, they refused to attend his 90th birthday celebration on July 18 of that same year.
In 2012, although Mandela was still alive, his grandson Mandla announced that he would be investing in his grandfather's "funeral."
In early 2012, he was accused of stealing land to build the Mandela Memorial, less than one mile from the Mandela Museum built by the Mandela Trust.
He constructed the memorial to rival with the museum. In order to do so, he removed the graves of three of Mandela's children from their burial site near the official Nelson Mandela museum and moved them to the location of his Mandela memorial.
Mandla was also accused of selling the exclusive rights of his grandfather's funeral to an unknown broadcasting company for some £250,000.
Mandela, now 94, was admitted to a Pretoria hospital for a recurring lung infection in early June 2013, where his condition remains critical. Nevertheless, the family feud continues with Mandla threatening legal action against 16 of his family members in a statement he released on Sunday, June 30.
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