Messages of condolences having been pouring in for the Mandela family after the heartbreaking passing of activist and writer Zoleka Mandela.

Social media users are especially worried about the When Hope Whispers author’s four children whom she loved very much.

 

ZOLEKA MANDELA’S CHILDREN
Besides her work and tragedies, Zoleka – who is the granddaughter of late South African former president, Nelson Mandela, and ANC stalwart Winnie Madikizela Mandela – was also known for being a proud mother-of-six.

Zoleka’s first child was Zenanii who passed away in a car accident in 2010 – she was 13. A year later she lost another child, her infant son, Zenawe, who was born three months prematurely.

The cancer warrior was also a mother to her only son Zwelami (born in 2003), her daughters Zanyiwe (born in 2014) and Zenzile (born in 2019).

In April 2022, she gave birth to her last born, a baby girl named Zingce Zobuhle Mandela.Although born into a prominent and wealthy family, Zoleka lived a life riddled with tragedies and struggles which she opened up about in her 2013 biography, When Hope Whispers.

The author opened up about losing her two children, suffering sexual and physical abuse as a 4-year-old up until her teens, as well as her cocaine and alcohol addiction.

ALSO READ: ‘A rich man to take care of me before I die’: Zoleka Mandela

Zoleka was diagnosed with and beat breast cancer twice. Her first diagnosis was in 2012.

In August last year she shared that she had been diagnosed with cancer in her lungs, liver, ribs, spinal cord and hips.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Mandela family revealed that last week Zoleka was admitted into hospital for ongoing treatment for metastatic cancer to the hip, liver, lung, pelvis, brain and spinal cord.