Ex-Winnie Mandela vigilante homeless in Southsea says British government 'abandoned' him

The former member of the infamous Mandela Football Club Katiza Cebekhulu, 52, said he has been ‘abandoned’ by the British government after being left homeless on the streets.

The only uplift in his bleak predicament came when he was spared prison at Portsmouth Crown Court on April 12 after admitting possessing a knife. It followed an altercation on February 2 at the Society of St James hostel in Elm Grove where he stayed.

But Cebekhulu said prison would have been a better option after he was left destitute and unable to comply with the terms of his community order due to his homelessness.

The former vigilante, who has been living in Portsmouth for around 20 years, was handed a 24-month community order with 20 rehabilitation days and told to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.

He was also given a 12-week alcohol abstinence monitoring requirement with an electronic tag.

The ruling was made after the court heard of his troubled past in South Africa that left him struggling to cope and suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.

But after being spared jail, Cebekhulu was not allowed to return to the hostel and was turned away by other places.

Without a designated address, it meant he was at risk of falling foul of his order and facing the possibility of being sent to jail as a result.

However, after appearing back at court, Cebekhulu was boosted when a judge decided to remove the electronic tag for the alcohol abstinence monitoring requirement and wipe the unpaid work.

Instead, Cebekhulu had his rehabilitation days increased from 20 to 30.

He has since been allowed to return to the Society of St James hostel to shower and eat meals but is still homeless, though he says the government is ‘fast tracking’ accommodation for him.

Cebekhulu told The News: ‘I walked free from court after the judge wiped the previous orders but increased my rehabilitation days.’

Despite the brighter outlook, Cebekhulu said he still wants to return to South Africa despite fears he could be assassinated.

‘The British government just abandoned me and I am stuck. I have not been allowed to get housing or work,’ he said.

‘I worry about going back to South Africa but I get no help here and am on the street. All prime ministers have refused to grant me asylum or residency.

‘The government in South Africa has the same party in power as when Nelson Mandela gave the order for me to be sent to a Zambian jail. They still see me as a traitor.

‘I have no family there now because they’ve all died. But I don’t know where to go.

‘The British government is trying to deport me.’

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Cebekhulu rose to prominence after becoming the so-called ‘missing witness’ from the high-profile Johannesburg trial in which Winnie Mandela, wife of Nelson Mandela, was accused of the torture and murder of 14-year-old boy Stompie Moeketsi.

He was placed in a Zambian jail before journalist and author Fred Bridgland and former MP Baroness Emma Nicholson helped rescue him.