Ayob was asked by Nelson Mandela in May 2005 to stop selling certain prints signed by Mandela and also to account for the proceeds of the sales of these prints in a prominently publicised application to the High Court of South Africa. 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.
2007 court action 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. 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. == Personal life and death ==