Mandela’s family at war as new reality threatens to ruin the global icon’s reputation

A NEW reality TV show has split South Africa amid claims it is dragging Nelson Mandela’s name through the mud.The show dubbed “Being Mandela” – and the stars are Swati Dlamini and Zaziwe Dlamini-Manaway, two of the anti-apartheid hero’s 17 grandchildren.But as frail 94-year-old Mandela recovers from an acute lung infection – his third visit to hospital in three months – the story gripping South Africa is the unseemly scramble by his extended family to cash in on the Mandela name.Mandela is second only to Coca-Cola as a global brand.And the battle for the rights to exploit it has turned Mandela against Mandela and his grandchildren against some of his oldest, most trusted advisers.As he receives care at his Johannesburg home after a spell in hospital when the nation feared losing him altogether, a string of undignified money-making ventures bearing the Mandela name have surfaced.Played out on DStv’s Fox – and also screened in America – the “Being Mandela” reality show has horrified South Africans as demeaning the humble values of the beloved statesman.Swati and Zaziwe are daughters of Zenani Mandela, whose parents are Winnie Mandela and the former South African p resident.They also have an incongruous LWTF – “Long Walk To Freedom” – fashion line, selling T-shirts with Mandela’s iconic image.There is also a wine label – House of Mandela – featuring a wine named “Madiba”, Mandela’s affectionate clan name, set up by his only surviving daughter from his first marriage, Makaziwe, also known as Maki.

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Mandela’s family at war as new reality threatens to ruin the global icon’s reputation