Journalists wait outside the house of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela on May 21, 2013 in Soweto. A South African sheriff cancelled today an auction of paintings, sculptures and a silver tea set belonging to Winnie Madikizela-Mandela to pay off her debts. The former wife of Nelson Mandela owes a private school around 40,000 rand ($4,300, 3,350 euros) in accommodation fees for a family member, according to media reports. She earns around 900,000 rand ($98,000, 75,000 euros) a year as a member of South Africa's parliament. It's unclear if the auction will take place at a later date.
Schoolgirls pass beneath souvenirs outside the Hector Pietersen memorial, unseen, in Soweto, Tuesday, May 21, 2013. Top left is fabric with portraits of former president Nelson Mandela. An ailing Mandela lives in his Johannesburg home in seclusion behind high walls with his last public appearance on a major stage in 2010, when South Africa hosted the soccer World Cup.
Press gather outside the Soweto, South African home of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, former wife of former president Nelson Mandela, Tuesday, May 21, 2013. A scheduled auction to sell items belonging to Madikizela-Mandela came and went without a single bid. Court sheriff John Maluleke and two other officials joined reporters gathered outside the gated home where some of her items were expected to be sold to cover an old debt she owes for school fees for her grand-niece, but were denied entry despite officials repeatedly banging on the gate.
FILE : In this image taken on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013, former South African president Nelson Mandela's daughter, Makaziwe Mandela, left, and his granddaughter Tukwini Mandela pose with some of their House of Mandela wines, in Bal Harbour, Fla. For decades, Nelson Mandela's name has been synonymous with freedom and political reform. Now with the launch of House of Mandela Wines, his daughter and granddaughter hope to add fine wine to the list of associations. Perhaps not surprisingly, the Mandela name is also being used commercially by members of his family. There is a "House of Mandela" wine label and two granddaughters are starring in a U.S. television reality show titled "Being Mandela." Mandela, old and frail, lives in seclusion in his Johannesburg home. Beyond the high walls of the house, the fighting over his image and what he stood for has already begun.
FILE : In this image taken from video, South African President Jacob Zuma, left, sits with the ailing anti-apartheid icon Nelson Madela is filmed Monday April 29, 2013, more than three weeks after being released from hospital. Mandela was treated in hospital for a recurring lung infection. South African President Jacob Zuma visited the former leader on April 29, but Mandela does not appear to speak during the televised portion of the visit, as he sits in an armchair, his head propped up by a pillow and with his cheeks showing what appear to be marks from a recently removed oxygen mask, although Zuma said he found Nelson Mandela in good shape and in good spirits . After the encounter at Mandela s home, Zuma cheerily said the 94-year-old was up and about, in good spirits and doing well.
FILE - In this photo taken Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012, reserve bank governor Gill Marcus displays bank notes bearing the image of former president Nelson Mandela, in Pretoria, South Africa. Across South Africa Mandela's face is a familiar sight, beaming from T-shirts, drink coasters and new bank notes. But the sense of possibility that he embodied as a former prisoner of apartheid who became the country's frist black president is fading as a gulf between rich and poor widens and the gorvenrment has been tainted by corruption scandals.
