Mandela's will revealed

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South Africa's late president Nelson Mandela has bequeathed 1.5 million rand (about 136,000 U. S. dollars) to the NRM Family Trust in his will revealed on Monday.

Mandela also left royalties to the trust of which a percentage would be given to the ruling African National Congress (ANC).

Mandela's will was read out by Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke, one of the executors of Mandela's estate, to the family behind closed doors at the Nelson Mandela Center of Memory in Johannesburg.

"Since Mandela and Graca Machel were married in community of property, She may opt to have exactly half of the estate. It's an election that needs to happen in 90 days... that's still pending. Reading wills are always occasions charged with emotion.The family listened and they were asking for explanations here and there. They accepted the will and I am not aware of anyone contesting the will," said Moseneke.

Mandela's estate was worth about 46 million rand (about 4.2 million dollars), Moseneke said, adding that the estate is still collating the real value but the provisional value is 46 million rand excluding royalties.

Under the will, eight members of Mandela's personal staff get 50,000 rand (about 4,500 dollars) each.

"This came as shock to me and I never expected it because when TaTa (father in Xhosa as Mandela is affectionately known) passed away I was no longer working for him. I will use the money to send my children to school and I will tell my children to be serious with school because this is the money Mandela left for me," Gloria Nomandla Nocanda, who worked for Mandela as an assistant from 1993 to 1999, said to Xinhua in an exclusive interview.

"I feel overwhelmed by this money which Mandela left for me. I will invest the money and ensure that it is used for a good cause. I still remember Mandela as a funny, down to earth man who was caring. Every morning he could ask us how our family is and in the evening he used to tell us to greet our family," Mandela's personal assistant since 1990, Thoko Mavuso, who is also among the eight-member-list told Xinhua.

Mandela also left 100,000 rand (about 9,000 dollars) to educational institutions he attended during his lifetime, said Moseneke.

Those institutions included the University of Witwatersrand, Qunu Secondary School and Orlando West High School in Soweto west of Johannesburg.

"Because he was concerned about the educational needs of the children, Mandela also left R100 000 to Orlando West for the teachers and students role they placed in liberating South Africa. The money would be for scholarships and bursaries of the children in those schools," said the justice.

Other beneficiaries listed in the will included his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Mandela left behind houses in Houghton District of Johannesburg and his birthplace in Qunu, with royalties from his book sales, mainly from his autobiography "Long Walk to Freedom".

The 40-page will was made in Oct. 12, 2004 and amended in Sept. 7, 2005 and Sept. 9, 2008. In the will Mandela said that important decisions have to be taken after consulting his wife Graca, two of his daughters Makaziwe Mandela and Zindzisiwe Mandela.

Mandela died of illness on Dec. 5 last year at the age of 95.

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