Ismail Ayob

Ismail Mahomed Ayob (3 de enero de 1942 - 17 de diciembre de 2025) fue un abogado sudafricano. Ejerció la abogacía en Sudáfrica y, durante gran parte de su carrera, se dedicó principalmente a casos contra el apartheid . Ayob estuvo involucrado en una serie de disputas muy publicitadas con Nelson Mandela .

El primo de Ayob, Ismail Mahomed , quien más tarde sería Presidente del Tribunal Supremo de Sudáfrica , ayudó a Ayob a conseguir su primer trabajo en 1969 en un bufete especializado en casos relacionados con el movimiento antiapartheid . En 1973, dejó el bufete para fundar su propia empresa, Ismail Ayob & Associates .

Durante los primeros 20 años de su carrera, Ayob se centró en casos de derechos humanos, representando a opositores del régimen del apartheid . Defendió y representó a numerosos presos políticos sudafricanos. Ayob fue una de las pocas personas a las que se les permitió visitar a Nelson Mandela mientras estaba encarcelado en la isla Robben . Su caso más sonado fue el de Hélène Passtoors , una mujer belga acusada de transportar armas para el entonces prohibido Congreso Nacional Africano . Otra clienta destacada de Ayob fue Winnie Mandela , a quien representó durante el juicio por el secuestro de Stompie Moeketsi .

En mayo de 2005, Nelson Mandela le pidió a Ayob que dejara de vender ciertas impresiones firmadas por Mandela ^{[ 1 ]} y que también rindiera cuentas de las ganancias de la venta de estas impresiones en una solicitud ampliamente difundida ante el Tribunal Superior de Sudáfrica. ^{[ 2 ]}

Ayob respondió que nunca vendió ninguna impresión, sino que actuó únicamente en calidad de abogado y agente de Mandela y su familia. Bajo juramento, declaró que nunca vendió ninguna impresión ni fue socio de nadie que se dedicara a la venta de impresiones. ^{[ 3 ]} Según los contratos escritos, Ayob debía recibir regalías adeudadas a la familia Mandela. Estas regalías se recibieron periódicamente y se depositaron en las cuentas de la empresa Mandela bajo su control; él presentó una rendición de cuentas completa con una explicación.

Ayob denied any wrongdoing, and declared that he was the victim of a smear campaign orchestrated by Mandela's advisers, in particular lawyer George Bizos.^[4] One particular issue was the drawing up of a last will for Mandela. Nelson Mandela stated under oath that despite many requests, Ayob refused to draw up a will. In his answer Ayob enclosed copies of five different wills signed by Mandela over a period of years. These were produced as annexures to Ayob's answering affidavit.

After a difference of opinion with Mr Mandela, Ismail Ayob, Zamila Ayob, and Zayd Ismail Ayob were subject to an attack by Mandela's advisers. This campaign was driven through the media by page-one headlines and lead stories on radio and television. Six weeks later, proceedings were launched by Mandela. His new advisers supported the application by way of supporting affidavits. Major clients, religious bodies, mosques, the Law Society, cultural bodies, community associations, and the South African Revenue Service authorities were all contacted and attempts were made to vilify Ismail Ayob and his family. There were public meetings held in Pretoria and Durban. At these meetings, the Minister Essop Pahad in the office of the South African President Thabo Mbeki attacked Ayob and his entire family. He declared that it was an issue of guilt or innocence. Ahmed Kathrada, at a meeting he addressed in Laudium, called on Ayob to "surrender". Ahmed Docrat called Ayob a "crook" at the same meeting. There were calls for Ayob and his family to be ostracised by society and to be expelled from mosques and community and charitable organisations, and that there be protest marches and paid newspaper advertisements signed by supporters of Mandela.

In terms of the High Court rules, Mandela and his new advisers were required to reply within two weeks of the answer of Ismail Ayob and Zamila Ayob. Some 20 months later, no reply had been made.

Ismail Ayob, George Bizos and Wim Trengrove were trustees of the Nelson Mandela Trust. The Trust was set up to hold money donated to Nelson Mandela. Ayob resigned from the Trust. In 2006, the two remaining trustees of the Nelson Mandela Trust launched an application against Ayob for disbursing money in terms of the trust deed without their express consent. Ayob explained these disbursements included money that was paid to the South African Revenue Service, to the children and grandchildren of Mandela, Mandela himself, and to an accounting company for four years of accounting work.^[5]

It was alleged that Ayob made defamatory remarks about Mandela in his affidavit, for which the court order stated that Ayob should apologise. These alleged that Mandela had foreign bank accounts and had not paid tax on these were later pointed out to have originated not from Ayob's affidavit but from Mandela's, George Bizos', and Iqbal Meer's affidavits against Ayob.

Ayob was born on 3 January 1942.^[6] He attended the Methodist Coloured School until the age of 14, when he was sent to Pretoria to continue his schooling at the Pretoria Indian Boys High School, as schools in his area were closed to him because of his race. He was married to Zamila Ayob and they had one son, Zayd Ismail Ayob, who is also his law partner.^[2]

Due to his Indian heritage,^[7] Ayob found that he could not attend university after he completed high school in 1959. He moved to London, where he attended the London School of Economics and read law. He qualified as a barrister and returned to South Africa to practise as an attorney.

Ayob died on 17 December 2025, at the age of 83.^[8]

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