Members of the Mandela family were in the cramped courtroom where Mbuso Mandela, 24, appeared. He has been in police custody since his arrest on Saturday.
According to South African law, due to the seriousness of the charge, his defense attorneys will have to present evidence to support his release on bail.
The rape allegedly took place in a toilet at a restaurant in Greenside, a Johannesburg suburb, on Aug. 7, police said.
