Drama broke out among the Mandela family after Zoleka’s aunt who is the daughter of Nelson Mandela, Zenani Mandela, delivered a court interdict to the family to have her buried elsewhere and not in the Mandela burial estate.
Zoleka Mandela had planned where she wanted to be buried and her final resting place was secured. She had prepared her family, and children and had a list including and excluding guests.
Immediately after her passing, a hole was dug up by Kupane Burial at the Mandela Estate next to her two late children, her mother, and grandmother Winnie Madikizela-Mandela at Fourways Memorial Park.
The now-divided Mandela family wanted to bury Zoleka next to her family while Zoleka’s aunt, Zenani, came with a court interdict and a police van demanding they bury her in her own space purchased by her ex-
According to a person present at the funeral, the police came to stop the family from burying Zoleka at the Mandela estate. “There are legal documents that have divided the family. They were forced to move the body from the estate to where the ex-husband had bought the grave. These were orders made by her very own aunt, Zenani.”
The source adds that Zoleka was very clear about where she wanted to be buried. “She wanted to be next to her kids, and not estradeni (in the streets). This is a disgrace! This has brought a serious division in the family. People refused to stay for the rest of the ceremony. Some family members left before she could be buried. There is tension and this now means more legal battles.”
“They know why. Only time will tell. I am not at liberty to disclose that. But the chaos that Zenani brought was irreparable. This could have been done days before instead of causing a scene. Zoleka did not want her at her funeral, and she knows but she came knowingly because she wanted to cause drama.”
