Apology comes on 51st anniversary of Mr Mandela's arrest by South African authorities that began a 27-year spell in prison for his activism
By DAMIEN GAYLE
The city of Johannesburg has apologised to Nelson Mandela after he was mistakenly sent a warning that his water and electricity would be cut off.
Municipal authorities said the notice was incorrectly sent to the home of the former freedom fighter, who was the first black president of South Africa.
The apology comes on the 51st anniversary of Mr Mandela's arrest by South Africa's apartheid authorities, the beginning of 27 years jail served for his black rights activism.
Nelson Mandela pictured in 2010: The city of Johannesburg has apologised to the anti-apartheid freedom fighter after he was erroneously sent a notice that his water and electricity supply would be cut off over an unpaid bill
The 95-year-old is currently in a Pretoria hospital, where he has spend the past two months battling a lung infection that has left him in a critical condition.
The city, which has faced a barrage of complaints from residents for bungled bills, said the notice demanding payment of 6,468.48 rand (£430) was supposed to have been delivered to a different house.
Last month, reports claimed that the headquarters of the African National Congress party reportedly received an erroneous bill for over 3.5million rand (£231,400).
'The city wants to convey an apology to the Mandela family for any inconvenience caused by this unfortunate incident,' it said in a statement.
The location of Mr Mandela's grand family home on the wealthy Johannesburg suburb of Houghton is one of South Africa's worst-kept secrets.
It is frequently visited by media and well-wishers who leave messages for a speedy recovery on painted stones outside the residence.
Well-wishers outside the Mandela family home: The location of Mandela's grand family home on the wealthy Johannesburg suburb of Houghton is one of South Africa's worst-kept secrets
The notice sent to the house threatened 'discontinuation or restriction of services' and legal action if the debt was not paid, the BBC cited local media as reporting.
But a city spokesman explained that the address and account number on the notice 'belonged to another customer and property in a neighbouring suburb, not to the Mandela residence.'
He added that 'necessary steps' would be taken against those who had made the mistake.
Mr Mandela became South Africa's first democratically elected leader in 1994 after worldwide pressure, including a mass boycott, ended the white-minority apartheid regime.
By DAMIEN GAYLE
The city of Johannesburg has apologised to Nelson Mandela after he was mistakenly sent a warning that his water and electricity would be cut off.
Municipal authorities said the notice was incorrectly sent to the home of the former freedom fighter, who was the first black president of South Africa.
The apology comes on the 51st anniversary of Mr Mandela's arrest by South Africa's apartheid authorities, the beginning of 27 years jail served for his black rights activism.
Nelson Mandela pictured in 2010: The city of Johannesburg has apologised to the anti-apartheid freedom fighter after he was erroneously sent a notice that his water and electricity supply would be cut off over an unpaid bill
The 95-year-old is currently in a Pretoria hospital, where he has spend the past two months battling a lung infection that has left him in a critical condition.
The city, which has faced a barrage of complaints from residents for bungled bills, said the notice demanding payment of 6,468.48 rand (£430) was supposed to have been delivered to a different house.
Last month, reports claimed that the headquarters of the African National Congress party reportedly received an erroneous bill for over 3.5million rand (£231,400).
'The city wants to convey an apology to the Mandela family for any inconvenience caused by this unfortunate incident,' it said in a statement.
The location of Mr Mandela's grand family home on the wealthy Johannesburg suburb of Houghton is one of South Africa's worst-kept secrets.
It is frequently visited by media and well-wishers who leave messages for a speedy recovery on painted stones outside the residence.
Well-wishers outside the Mandela family home: The location of Mandela's grand family home on the wealthy Johannesburg suburb of Houghton is one of South Africa's worst-kept secrets
The notice sent to the house threatened 'discontinuation or restriction of services' and legal action if the debt was not paid, the BBC cited local media as reporting.
But a city spokesman explained that the address and account number on the notice 'belonged to another customer and property in a neighbouring suburb, not to the Mandela residence.'
He added that 'necessary steps' would be taken against those who had made the mistake.
Mr Mandela became South Africa's first democratically elected leader in 1994 after worldwide pressure, including a mass boycott, ended the white-minority apartheid regime.
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