Zoleka Mandela, granddaughter of South Africa’s first democratically elected Black President Nelson Mandela, has died of cancer at the age of just 43.
She passed away on Monday evening surrounded by friends and family, a spokesperson said.
Ms. Mandela, who was the granddaughter of Nelson Mandela’s second wife, Winnie, documented her story in her autobiography When Hope Whispers.
Over the years, Ms. Mandela faced varying challenges, with her grandfather away, she had a tough childhood, facing sexual abuse as a child. She eventually experienced depression and drug addiction.
In 2010, her 13-year-old daughter was killed in a car accident. She later lost a son who was born prematurely and is now survived by four children.
At the age of 32, Ms. Mandela was diagnosed with breast cancer. She received treatment and was in remission but the illness later returned.
These events pushed her to create “awareness about cancer prevention” as well as “breaking down the stigma surrounding the disease.”
In 2022, she confirmed that she had cancer in her liver and lungs, which then spread to other organs.
She had posted on Instagram early last month, “What do I tell my children? How do I tell them that this time around I may not get to live my life as a survivor? How do I tell them everything will be OK when it’s not? I’m dying… I don’t want to die.”
Ms. Mandela was only 10 when her grandfather Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990 after 27 years in detention.
She had only ever known him as an imprisoned man, so when he was released she was excited he was coming home. Mr Mandela died in 2013 at the age of 95.
He is now united with his beloved grand daughter.
