Mandela’s grandson arrested on hijacking charge at Houghton home

The property previously owned by former president Nelson Mandela in Houghton, where his grandson Mbuso was arrested with four hijacking suspects on Wednesday, was in use by Mbuso, the family has confirmed.

Mbuso Mandela’s older brother, Ndaba, said his younger brother had lived on the property for years and had neglected it. 

Mbuso is expected to appear in the Johannesburg magistrate’s court on Friday with four other suspects. 

The arrests followed information from a vehicle tracking company on the location of a white Toyota Corolla that was hijacked on Wednesday on Louis Botha Avenue in Oaklands, said Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) spokesperson Xolani Fihla. 

Fihla said the police had recovered the vehicle and arrested four men and a woman.

A search of the premises had yielded an unlicensed firearm.

Preliminary information suggested the “female occupant is renting the property and is acquainted with the four male suspects”.

They were detained at Norwood police station ahead of a court appearance “and will be facing charges of possession of a hijacked motor vehicle and possession of an unlicensed firearm”, said Fihla. 

But Ndaba said: “[The] property [is] not rented out by anyone, but has been neglected by Mbuso who has been living there for years. 

“There was a drug problem by Mbuso and his accomplices but they all got arrested. I have kicked everyone out of the property so there is only [our brother] Andile and security left,” he said. 

Late last year, the Sunday Times reported a row had broken out over Mandela’s family home in Houghton with at least three of his grandchildren preparing court papers to fight a possible sale of the property, which had fallen into disrepair. Ndaba said at the time his aunt, Makaziwe Mandela, Nelson Mandela’s oldest daughter, was “trying to take the house away” from him and his brothers, Mbuso and Andile.

He reiterated what he previously told the Sunday Times. “Aunt Maki [Makaziwe] is to blame for most of the issues since she [allegedly] stole furniture in 2019. The trustees refused to carry out their fiduciary duties of maintaining lights and so on because they said they don’t have to follow Madiba’s wishes of taking care of all municipal duties,” he said. 

“However, we tried to do renovations last year and [businessman and philanthropist] Collen Mashawana was stopped by aunt Maki. Had renovations been completed, I would have been back at the house and none of this would have happened,” said Ndaba. 

Makaziwe did not respond to attempts to get comment.

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