Mandelas vs. Bizos

Currently, a controversy is raging around two of Nelson Mandela’s daughters, and George Bizos, who is on the board of a trust established by Mandela to hold funds for his children and grandchildren. The daughters, Makaziwe and Zenani, want Bizos and two other board members of the trust out because they feel that it is not being managed correctly, in the interests of the people it was created to serve, them and their siblings and other Mandela descendants. Bizos, in particular, has come out guns blazing against the daughters.

What is most astonishing about this is the way in which Bizos and a large part of the South African media is vilifying these two Mandela daughters. Bizos has referred to one of them as ‘this woman’, for example. And in a recent article in a popular magazine the daughters are referred to as ‘enemies’. Clearly, the media has taken the side of Bizos. One has to wonder why Bizos is so concerned with controlling the trust’s funds how he sees fit, and not how the intended beneficiaries see fit for themselves. Without accusing him, it is worth pondering. And the very aggressive tone which Bizos uses when discussing the daughters is indicative that their best interests are not what he is most concerned with, which was what Mandela established the trust for in the first place.

The use of the media to slander these two women is disgusting. And really, it only serves to make society take the opinion that it is OK to victimize these two women because they are supposedly greedy, grasping, corrupt, etc.

One really has to ask the question; what is wrong with wanting access to and controlling a gift your parent intended for you? It was not intended for anyone else. It is yours.  This is the main point which Bizos and the media seems to have conveniently ignored.

Another important point is where are the women’s activists and movements when these women so clearly need support? They are being openly attacked from all sides, and South African society is quiet. Bizos and his camp have then so far succeeded in creating a negative perception of these women so that no one comes to their defence. It doesn’t matter if these women are likeable or not. What is theirs is theirs.

The irony is that Mandela comes from a party that has been at the forefront of the struggle for women’s empowerment. And through his actions Bizos, a highly respected man, is tarnishing his own legacy.

Having been in an exact same situation, we would like to say that we strongly disapprove of the way these women are being treated and spoken about. This is an infringement of their dignity, which is a human right. And we would advise them to not give up their struggle for what is rightly for theirs, and was lovingly created and given to them. The attacks on their names and characters should only strengthen their resolve, because no one else is going fight for them. Despite these difficulties, they are lucky in that they are Mandelas, are educated, and they have their own resources. Many other women in similar situations do not have such advantages. From experience we know this is going to be a major struggle. But we wish them all the best, because if they succeed, they win for all black South African women.