Mbuso Mandela, one of Nelson Mandela’s grandsons, is facing eviction from the late statesman’s iconic Houghton home after a fresh brush with the law and a long-running feud with the Mandela Family Trust.
The 31-year-old has been served with a formal eviction notice, issued soon after he was released from police custody following his arrest for alleged drug possession at Montecasino in Fourways, Johannesburg.
The notice, which City Press has seen, comes on the back of a court order granted by the Johannesburg High Court in November, in which the Mandela Family Trust successfully applied to evict him, describing him as an “unlawful occupant” of the Houghton property.
According to the trust, the decision to act was taken after it had exhausted all efforts to resolve the matter amicably, including a mediation meeting held on 12 January.
The eviction notice also cites Mbuso’s elder brother, Ndaba Mandela, although the property is not his primary residence.
‘Only legitimate grandson living there permanently’
Despite the court order, Mbuso is refusing to back down. Sources close to the situation say he and Ndaba are working together to “consolidate fees” and oppose the eviction.
Mbuso is opposing the action and fighting the eviction because he is the only legitimate grandson who lives on the premises permanently; if he is evicted, he will have no place to go.
He confirmed to City Press that he had been served with the eviction notice this week, but declined to go into detail.
All I can say is that we are fighting it; we cannot allow certain people to sell the house for their own profit.
He has, for some time, accused the executors and trustees of his grandfather’s estate of trying to benefit financially from the Houghton home. In various media interviews, he has also claimed that the property carries a water and lights bill of more than R1 million.
City Press previously reported that although the main house underwent refurbishment last year, the cottage where Mbuso lives was left out of the renovations. The trustees are also said to have refused to give him controlled gate access to the premises, aggravating tensions.
The Mandela Family Trust did not respond to requests for comment.
Montecasino drug arrest dispute
The latest twist in the saga comes after an incident at Montecasino, an upmarket entertainment complex in Fourways, which once again put Mbuso’s name in police records.
Earlier in the week, police allege that Mbuso was caught using drugs around the entertainment hotspot of Montecasino in Fourways, Johannesburg, and was apprehended by security guards who later handed him over to the police.
Mbuso was arrested and charged with possession of drugs.
Police spokesperson Mavela Masondo confirmed the arrest.
Police can confirm that a suspect was arrested after he was allegedly found in possession of drugs at a casino on Monday. He was taken to Randburg Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
However, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) did not immediately proceed with the case. NPA spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said:
“The matter was not placed on the roll pending further investigations,” she said.
A security guard who was on duty at the casino on the night of the incident told City Press that Mbuso allegedly had the drugs in an envelope.
“Security guards were doing their usual patrols on the night, and they saw a person standing alone. They confronted him and established that he was using drugs on the premises,” the guard said.
The guard also claimed they had no idea at first who he was.
The security guard also stated that they did not know the person’s identity until he allegedly told them that they could not arrest him because he was the former statesman’s grandson.
When we were taking him in, he told us that he would sue us for the arrest because he is a Mandela.
‘I was at home with my cousin’
Mbuso has flatly rejected the version given by police and casino security.
However, Mbuso denied the drug allegations to City Press and said he was at home at the time of the incident.
“At the time you are speaking about, I was at home with my cousin. I don’t know anything about the case or an arrest,” he said.
He added that he did not use drugs, and therefore it was not him.
He confirmed only that he had received the eviction notice in recent days and refused to be drawn into further discussion on the specifics of the legal action.
A history of legal run-ins
The Montecasino case is not the first time Mbuso has faced criminal allegations, particularly involving drugs and his stay at Mandela properties.
Mbuso’s history with the law
In January last year, Mbuso was among five suspects accused of vehicle theft at Mandela’s house in Houghton. However, the Randburg Magistrates’ Court subsequently withdrew the case against him for lack of evidence.
In May 2022, he was arrested for a similar drug offence.
At the time, an eyewitness said Mandela’s landlord and fellow tenants suspected that Mbuso was a drug dealer due to people constantly moving in and out of his then flat in Morningside.
Mbuso has been embroiled in a bitter dispute over his habitation at the Mandela home, with trustees of the Mandela Family Trust threatening to evict him from the cottage.
City Press also reported that despite the house undergoing refurbishment last year, his cottage was left out and the trustees refused to give him controlled gate access to the premises.
Mbuso has publicly accused the executors of his grandfather’s estate of trying to benefit from the home.
In various media interviews, he also claimed the property has a water and lights bill of more than R1 million.
The Mandela Family Trust failed to comment.
Mediation failed, eviction escalates
According to the eviction notice, the trust believes it has tried and failed to resolve the dispute without resorting to the courts. The mediation meeting on 12 January appears to have been the final attempt to reach an internal solution.
According to the notice, which City Press has seen, the Mandela Family Trust appears to have exhausted all possible means of mediation during a meeting on 12 January.
The notice describes the 31-year-old Mbuso as an unlawful occupant of Mandela’s iconic house in Houghton, Johannesburg.
However, sources close to the situation claim that Mbuso and Ndaba are consolidating fees to oppose the eviction, which was granted by the Johannesburg High Court in November.
As things stand, a grandson who insists he is the “only legitimate grandson who lives on the premises permanently” is now at risk of being forced out of the house most closely associated with his grandfather’s legacy, while criminal and family disputes swirl around him.
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