The 24-year-old, who cannot be named until he enters his plea, is accused of raping the teenager in the toilets of a restaurant in Johannesburg.
Earlier in the week, the family of the alleged victim said that Mr Mandela’s ex-wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, had sent her bodyguard to dissuade them from pressing charges.
The Mandela family has not commented.
Senior members of the Mandela family, including the former president’s daughter Makaziwe Mandela, were in court during a brief hearing.
The accused cannot be named until he formally enters his plea.
BBC Southern Africa correspondent Karen Allen says the family of South Africa’s first black president have found themselves constantly in the public spotlight.
Just three months ago, another of his grandsons, Mandla Mandela, was given a suspended sentence after being convicted of assault, following an attack on a teacher after a road rage incident.
BBC
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