THE WEALTHY JUSTICE NDABA
Justice Ndaba is a powerful South African political figure and traditional leader. During the last presidential campaign, he shared public platforms with Jacob Zuma and Nelson Mandela. His appearance beside these two high figures showed the influence of Mr. Ndaba on the political environment of the country. Palesa Ndaba, grandfather of Justice Ndaba, fought besides Mandela for many years against apartheid.
Chief Ndaba is also a Member of Parliament for the African National Congress. His presence besides Mandela during the last presidential campaign did not please Jakes Gerwel, the chairman of the board of trustees of the Nelson Mandela Foundation. This is because the foundation is in charge of the former president’s affairs and wanted Mr. Ndaba to stay out of the campaign.
During an interview with the Mail and Guardian newspaper, Justice Ndaba said that Mandela and Palesa devoted their lives to the party and Mandela decided for himself. Therefore, the chairman of the foundation has no power over him.
The nomination of Mr. Ndaba as a Member of Parliament was a reward of the African National Congress. However, some analysts said that Chief Ndaba has to struggle in order to set a solid foot in the political environment of the country while the influence of Mandela will always be there.
Mr. Van Deer, the editorialist of South Africa Daily Newspaper said that since the African National Congress is too contested in the country, Mr. Ndaba needs to work hard even if he had the influence of Mandela and Palesa boosting his scores. The editorialist said that what happened in India with the Gandhi-Nehru dynasty would not happen in South Africa with Mandela-Palesa dynasty. In Indian dynasty, there was a kind of tradition that children followed.
However, Justice Ndaba seemed determined to appear as the flag bearer of the clan. He said once that he has the blood of the Ndabas running in his vein and this blood had been around for centuries. Mr. Ndaba showed that he enjoyed his status of chief. During a battle in court to evict a tenant from a Palesa home in QwaQwa, he insisted on being called Chief Ndunmiso, a Xhosa name that he received in 1993 during a circumcision ritual.
Mr. Van Deer revealed that Mr. Ndaba is a young man with a lot of confidence and an outstanding amount of seriousness. However, the editorialist added that it will be hard for the chief to carry on his tasks.
Justice Ndaba is a wealthy man as he earns $92,000 per year as a Member of Parliament, $105,000 per year from a freight firm. In addition, he had over $658,000 in various bank accounts. The Sunday Times Newspaper of South Africa stated that Mr. Ndaba is extremely wealthy as he declared recently, in the parliamentary register, interests and shareholdings in nine companies.
Mr. Van Deer added that, despite his wealth, Chief Ndaba never forgot about his duties as traditional leader and Member of Parliament. He kept fighting for more freedom and improvement of social life for South Africans.
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