Mandela Grandchild Zoleka Dies At The Age Of 43

Zoleka Mandela

Zoleka Mandela, the late Nelson Mandela's granddaughter and South Africa's first democratically elected president, tragically died at the age of 43 after battling metastatic cancer.

She was hospitalized last Monday for treatment but passed away the next day, the night before her grandmother's birthday, surrounded by family and friends.

A family representative confirmed her departure on Monday night in a touching post on Instagram.

In recent years, Zoleka has come to prominence for courageously sharing her experience with cancer treatment and being upfront about her battles with drug addiction, despair, and childhood sexual assault. She wrote about her incredible experience in her memoirs, "When Hope Whispers."

Zoleka had a breast cancer diagnosis over ten years ago, underwent therapy, and went into remission. Sadly, the cancer came back and first affected her liver and lungs before moving on to other organs last year. Even though she was suffering with blood clots and lung fibrosis, she remained upbeat and expressed thanks for ongoing therapy choices just days before she passed away.

Zoleka Mandela

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