Cape Town, Jan 16 (IANS): Former South African president Nelson Mandela's grandson Mandla Mandela appeared in the Mthatha regional court in the Eastern Cape Thursday to face two charges of assault.

The charges include assault with intent to do grievously bodily harm and pointing a firearm to the complainant, Xinhua reported.

Mandla was accompanied by his team of defence attorneys. A group of the complainant's family members was also present.

The violent incident happened in October last year when Mandla allegedly assaulted 44-year-old teacher Mlamli Ngudle after he bumped into a car driven by one of Mandla's business associates.

A war of words allegedly broke out and later there was manhandling and an alleged pointing of a firearm.

Kenny Oldwage, Mandla's defence attorney, told the court that as his client and team of attorneys only received the docket Thursday morning, they needed more time to scrutinise its contents.

The case has been postponed to Feb 24 for consultations between the defence attorneys and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

Mandla Mandela was out on a warning after his brief court appearance, according to the South African Broadcasting Corporation.