Mandela's grandson suspected of robbery, arrested at his grandfather's home

JOHANNESBURG- South Africa's former President Nelson Mandela's grandson has been detained, along with four other young men, by Johannesburg city police officers on charges of hijacking a motor vehicle and possessing a firearm without a license.

Fihla, a spokesman for the Johannesburg City Police who uses only one name, said that a white Toyota Corolla was hijacked by unknown men on Louis Botha Avenue in Johannesburg's Oaks earlier this month. The owner reportedly immediately reported the crime at a nearby police station. Based on the information from the car owner, the city police unit contacted a company that tracks vehicles that have been stolen. Fihla says that company provided the police with information that suggested the vehicle was parked at a home in Johannesburg's Houghton and officers were quickly dispatched to that address.

"There they found the hijacked Toyota and made arrests after five young men were found inside the house," Fihla says. No injuries were reported.

"Fihla says, "The house in which the suspects were found was occupied by tenants and it is one of the residences of former president Nelson Mandela, who passed away on December 5, 2013. Police then conducted a search of the property, where they found an unlicensed firearm."

"The information we have so far," Fihla added, "indicates that one of the five arrested suspects - a woman - was the tenant of the Mandela property, and that she knew the other suspects."

It is also understood that one of the four male suspects is the grandson of the former South African leader.

Mandela was South Africa's first black president and leader of the liberation movement that ended the country's racist apartheid system.

Mandela was the leader of the ANC that won the country's first all-race elections in 1994. Mandela became president at the age of 75 in a peaceful transition of power that was hailed as a new dawn for the country. In 1997 South Africa adopted a new constitution, one of the most liberal in the world, ending the country's apartheid past. However, he only ruled for one term and stepped down in 1999 at the age of 81. He died in December 2013 at the age of 95.

According to published reports, he was survived by 18 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. Fihla could not confirm which of Mandela's children was the father of the accused grandchild.

All five suspects were arrested and transported to the police station in Norwood and were expected to appear in court on Monday to face charges of hijacking a motor vehicle and for possession of a firearm.