Winnie launches her claim to the Qunu house

Chumani Simelela

04 March 2016

“Civil and customary law came under the spotlight in the Mthatha High Court yesterday as Winnie Madikizela-Mandela launched her claim to Nelson Mandela’s Qunu house”.

“The property was willed to the Nelson Rholihlahla Mandela Family Trust by Mandela for the benefit of the Mandela family – including his third wife, Graça Machel, and her children”.

“But Madikizela-Mandela claims the Qunu property was given to her by the tribal authority while Mandela was still in prison and she had not anticipated that the land would be given to Machel”.

“Madikizela-Mandela claims that while the civil union was dissolved through a divorce, the customary marriage which took place in 1958 by payment of lobola to her family, had not been dissolved”.