Winnie Mandela, defiant wife of jailed African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela, once again attracted wide publicity when she appeared briefly in the Krugersdorp Regional Court this week.
More than 100 supporters, a barrage of foreign journalists and scores of armed policemen greeted Mandela, who was dressed in black leather and wore a badge bearing the picture of Martin Luther King, Jnr, the assassinated American civil rights leader.
Mandela faces two charges of contravening an amended restriction order which prohibits her from entering the Johannesburg and Roodepoort areas — and thus makes it illegal for her to live in or visit her Soweto home. If found guilty, she could face three years’ jail on each count.
At Wednesday’s appearance she was not asked to plead to the charges. The case was postponed to February 19 at the request of the state prosecuter G Thiart.
Magistrate Chris Eksteen granted an application by Mandela’s attorney Ismael Ayob for the clause “unless she is lawfully in that area” to be added to the bail conditions barring her from Johannesburg and Roodepoort.
Ayob later explained that his application was related to the civil case Mandela has brought before the Rand Supreme Court, challenging the validity of her latest restriction order.
The case was dismissed with costs last week, but Mandela was given permission to lodge an appeal. Should her appeal be successful she will be able to return to her Soweto home immediately, without contravening her bail conditions.