Author and activist Zoleka Mandela, the granddaughter of Nelson Mandela and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, passed away at the age of 43 on September 25, 2023.
She died after a prolonged battle with cancer, one day before her late grandmother’s 87th birthday.
Zoleka had been receiving extensive treatment since September 18, 2023. Recent scans showed significant disease progression, including lung fibrosis and blood clots. She had announced her diagnosis of bone metastasis, her third cancer battle, in August 2022.
She documented her 10-year breast cancer journey in an autobiography When Hope Whispers.
Zoleka was surrounded by loved ones at the time of her death.
