Johannesburg - Well-known author and activist Zoleka Mandela has passed away aged 43 after a long battle with cancer.
The Mandela family confirmed that Zoleka was admitted to the hospital on Monday last week for ongoing treatment for metastatic cancer in the hip, liver, lungs, pelvis, brain and spinal cord.
She died on 25 September after recent scans uncovered significant disease progression, including fibrosis in the lung and several emboli.
In a statement, her family says she was surrounded by friends and family in hospital.
“On Monday, September 18th, Zoleka Mandela was admitted to the hospital for ongoing treatment for metastatic cancer in the hip, liver, lung, pelvis, brain and spinal cord. Recent scans revealed significant disease progression, including fibrosis in the lungs as well as several emboli. Zoleka passed away on the evening of Monday, September 25th, surrounded by friends and family. Our sincerest gratitude to the medical team that took care of her,” the statement read.
Despite going through a challenging journey, Mandela kept her followers in the loop about her health, ensuring she shared updates on social media.
The author, who was a two-time breast cancer survivor, had just looked back into her 10-year journey since being diagnosed with cancer when she learned that she had another battle to fight.
In April, she revealed that she was in the planning stages in a video shared on her Instagram account on her Kaya FM.
‘’There is a lot of pain. I mean, every day is different, so the form of treatment is different in the sense that, in this regard, they are doing a lot of trying to Improve my quality of life and in reducing pain. So, my treatment would be more of strengthening the bones, which are easily fractured. So, I do have fractured bones due to cancer.’’
‘’No, I mean, I think for a very long time, I was just like, okay, I am tired. Let it do what it needs to do. And that's fine. I don't want to do that to my kids. And I think it probably will sound strange, but I think I am blessed enough or fortunate enough to be in a position where I am in my planning stages. I am having conversations with my loved ones, my lawyer, my therapist, and my siblings about what happened on the day leading to my passing. What happens after I pass away?’’ said Mandela
She survived her four children after losing her 13-year-old daughter, Zenani, in an accident and her infant son, Zenawe, who was born three months prematurely.
The Star