Josina Machel says she doesn’t understand why her stepsister, Makaziwe Mandela, wants to auction off their late father Nelson Mandela’s personal items.

Josina – who is the daughter of the first democratically-elected South African president’s wife, Graca Machel – shared her views regarding the controversial upcoming sale on her X account at the weekend. Graca shares Josina with the late Mozambican president, Samora Machel.

 

MANDELA’S BELONGINGS TO GO ON AUCTION NEXT MONTH
Makaziwe Mandela, Madiba’s eldest daughter from his first wife Evelyn Mase, won in a legal battle to auction off her father’s items via an auction house in New York on 22 February.

Some of the items include Mandela’s letters from prison, drawings he sketched while in jail, a gift from former US president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle, as well as his ID book issued in 1993.

The New York Times also reports that a key to the Robben Island prison cell where Mandela was imprisoned, could be one of the items. The publication added that SA officials have strongly objected to the key being sold.

Guernsey, which is the auction house, estimated the collective value of the 70 items to be between $2 million (R38 million) and $3 million (R56 million), revealed that proceeds from the auction are intended to finance a memorial garden honouring Madiba.

JOSINA MACHEL WEIGHS IN
In her X post, Josina shared that she and Ndileka Mandela (who is the former president’s granddaughter) are against Makaziwe’s decision to sell Madiba’s belongings.

“This is outrageous. Myself and Sis Ndileka Mandela stand against it. It is incredulous to witness devaluation of a father, a grandfather, an African and World leader.
So once again we will have to travel to European museums to see our own relics? It is beyond comprehension…” Josina said in her post.