‘I’m too scared to bury my father’
Mandla Hlatshwayo’s daughter:
Just three days after Mandla Hlatshwayo died, a family feud has erupted.
The family’s dirty linen has been aired in public ahead of his memorial and a few days before the star is laid to rest.
The former Generations star was killed on Sunday in a shooting outside a Soweto pub.
His family in Chiawelo is said to have chosen Mandla’s girlfriend (known as Mami) to sit on the mourning mattress, instead of wife Amanda, who has two children with Hlatshwayo.
They were married for 12 years and separated for five, but never officially divorced.
When Amanda visited the Hlatshwayo family in Chiawelo on Monday she found Mami occupying the mourning mattress.
Hlatshwayo’s 14-year-old daughter Bonolo told Sowetan that she was hurting by how her father’s family had excluded them from all the activities.
Bonolo said when her father died he had broken up with Mami and was returning to his family.
“We were shocked to see the family supporting someone that my father ended the relationship with a long time ago.
“I mean... we are the ones who lost a father, and we should be getting all the support. I can tell right now, my father is not happy wherever he is.
This family problem was really hurting him. He had even stopped going to Chiawelo.”
The distraught teenager further revealed that she, her brother and mother were scared of the Hlatshwayos.
“We know that the family hates us. It will not be easy for us to go to the funeral when we are being treated as if we don’t exist. We had a great relationship with dad.”
Amanda did not want to comment but gave her daughter permission to speak to Sowetan.
Maggie Hlatshwayo, Mandla’s sister, dismissed the claims made by Bonolo.
“It is not true that they are sidelined. They have been coming to the house; even yesterday they were here.”
She said they chose Mami to sit on the mattress because she had been closer to Mandla, even on the eve of his death.
“My mother allowed Mami to sit on the mattress because Amanda and Mandla were divorced,” she said.
Mandla’s memorial will be held at Protea South Multipurpose Centre, Ndaba Street, Protea South, Soweto at 4pm today.
The funeral will be at the same venue on Saturday from 8am.