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Johannesburg — The ex-wife of former president Nelson Mandela, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, will continue to fight for the rights to his home in Qunu, Eastern Cape, despite her defeat in the Mthatha High Court.
“We’re not happy about the judgment, obviously, and will be filing an appeal, either to the Supreme Court of Appeal or the Constitutional Court, depending on the issues we will be raising,” Madikizela-Mandela’s lawyer, Mvuzo Notyesi, said.
The papers for the appeal could be filed as early as next week.
In a quick judgment, the High Court had on Thursday dismissed Madikizela-Mandela’s application for ownership of the late former president’s home.
Notyesi said, when they looked at the judgment, they found that they were not in agreement with the court’s findings.
“We disagree with the conclusion. It suggests that she should have [challenged] the will earlier, but she couldn’t have vetted until everything was concluded,” Notyesi said.
He said the court had judged the matter on technicalities, and not on its merits.
Notyesi had got the ball rolling on the legal battle when he reportedly wrote to Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke two years ago.
In the letter, Notyesi argued that AbaThembu custom dictated that the rights to the property should go to Madikizela-Mandela and her descendants. — News24
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