Nelson Mandela’s granddaughter, Zoleka Mandela, passed away at the age of 43 in South Africa after a long battle with cancer, according to ABC News.
On Sept. 26, family spokesperson Zwelabo Mandela revealed the author and healthcare activist passed away Sept. 25, “surrounded by friends and family” after she was admitted to the hospital for “ongoing cancer treatment.”
Zoleka was taken to the hospital Sept. 18 for “metastatic cancer to the hip, liver, lung, pelvis, brain and spinal cord,” the tragic update noted. “Recent scans revealed significant disease progression including fibrosis in the lungs as well as several emboli.”
Zoleka — born to mother Zindzi Mandela, who passed away in 2020— was the granddaughter of Nelson Mandela and his second wife, Winnie Mandela.
On Monday, The Nelson Mandela Foundation thanked the granddaughter of South Africa’s heroes for “raising awareness about cancer prevention” and honored her “unwavering commitment to breaking down the stigma surrounding the disease.”
“Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this most difficult time. Hamba Kahle, Zoleka. We will remember you,” the foundation added.
Earlier this month, Zoleka told fans that doctors had discovered blood clots and fibrosis in one of her lungs.
Before her untimely passing, Zoleka took to Instagram on Sept. 16 to give her supporters a health update. A CT scan discovered that the star developed blood clots and fibrosis in one of her lungs.
Fibrosis is a condition where lung tissue becomes thick, damaged and scarred, which can prevent oxygen from flowing to the bloodstream, according to the American Lung Association.
“This explains the chest pains I had been feeling. My Medical Oncologist has recommended blood thinners and Oral Chemo,” she captioned a video of herself smiling.
“On the upside, I’m incredibly grateful that I am still treatable!”
On Sept. 5, Zoleka’s health appeared to be on the mend. She told fans on Instagram that she had received her “last day of Chemo.”
“Last day of Chemo today, finally back home and beyond exhausted,” the South African author penned underneath a video of herself wearing a blue T-shirt adorned with the title of her YouTube series Terminally Free.
“Good night, beloved hearts!!! Peace. Passion. Positivity,” she added.
Zoleka was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012.
The Terminally Free YouTube host opened up about her scary cancer diagnosis in March.
“I was first diagnosed in 2012, at the age of 32,” she said. “How I discovered that something was wrong was I had given birth to my late son, Zenawe, and because he only survived two days and without breastfeeding, because he was in neonatal ICU, they gave me something to stop the production of milk.”
Shortly after she received the medication, Zoleka felt two lumps in her left breast.
“By that time, my left breast had felt completely different from my right breast, that I then went to go get an MRI done. There was drama with that situation,” she added. “Eventually, I was diagnosed by Dr Carol Ben in 2012 on 15 March with a hormone-positive breast cancer.”
According to People, Zoleka was in remission until 2022, when she announced that she had bone metastasis, which occurs when cancer spreads to the bone.
The activist and social media star, who was born and raised in South Africa, spoke openly about her cancer battle, struggles with addiction and sexual abuse in her 2013 biography When Hope Whispers. Zoleka wanted to show the world that she was “not a victim” but a “survivor” living against the odds, according to a synopsis of the book.
Her emotional biography also touched on the death of her 13-year-old daughter, who passed away in a tragic car accident in 2010. Zoleka became a global ambassador for road safety shortly after. She worked with the not-for-profit Amend to create “evidence-based interventions for road safety in Africa,” according to the World Resources Institute (WRI).
“It was important for me to bring hope to the families. These deaths are preventable, and there are things we can do to safeguard the lives of our children,” Zoleka said during an interview on WRI’s Big Ideas Into Action podcast in January 2020.
MadameNoire sends our condolences to Zoleka’s family during this difficult time.
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