The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has dismissed an appeal aimed at stopping Makaziwe Mandela, Nelson Mandela’s eldest daughter, from auctioning 29 of her late father’s personal belongings.
The South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA), along with Robben Island Museum and the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, had been engaged in a legal battle Dr Makaziwe Mandela, the the eldest daughter of the first black South African president Nelson Mandela to stop the sale of 29 items linked to the former president.
Among the valuable items listed for auction are his ID book, the keys to Mandela’s Robben Island prison cell, his hearing aid, and a copy of the 1996 constitution signed by him before it was enacted into law.
The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) dismissed an appeal seeking to prevent Makaziwe from proceeding with the auction of her late father’s personal belongings. The SCA judgment was delivered on Thursday, 22 January.
As part of South African history, SAHRA argued that the items should be treated as part of the country’s national heritage and need to be protected.
The late president’s grandson, Ndaba Mandela has criticized Makaziwe’s several attempts to sell the goods, leading to adivide within the Mandela family.
New York-based Guernsey’s auction house was due to put up for bid about 100 of Mandela’s personal items,when they were haulted.
The auction was set to raise funds for a memorial garden at Mandela’s burial site in Qunu in the Eastern Cape. There is no longer any reference to the auction on the Guernsey’s website.
In a report by Sunday Times, they indicate how Makaziwe removed the items from Mandela’s Houghton house. Ndaba Mandela, Mandela’s grandson, told the publication that in March 2021 while he was not at the Houghton home, Makaziwe came to the house and “removed the bed, paintings, carpets, you name it …”
In 2023, Makaziwe announced on social media that she started the House of Mandela Family Foundation to uplift and empower women, especially those from rural areas.
