The family of South Africa’s first democratically elected president Nelson Mandela, has announced that his granddaughter, Zoleka Mandela, has died of cancer at the age of 43.
In a statement released on Instagram by a spokesperson of the family, it is revealed that Zoleka passed away on the evening of Monday, September 25th, 2023 surrounded by friends and family.
Zoleka, in recent years, has been vocal and open about her struggle with breast cancer. She was treated for breast cancer in 2011, which returned in 2016, and used her social media platforms to describe the removal of the tumor and the side effects of her chemotherapy treatment.
She has also been vocal about her history of drug addiction and depression.
Last year, Zoleka confirmed that the cancer spread to her liver, lungs, and other organs. She was treated as an outpatient but was admitted to the hospital over a week ago.
“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,” she posted early last month on Instagram.
