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Nelson Mandela’s granddaughter Zoleka Mandela died Monday evening at the age of 43 after a battle with cancer, her family said.
“We mourn the loss of a beloved grandchild of mother Winnie and Madiba and a friend of the Foundation,” the Nelson Mandela Foundation said wrote about the death of Zoleka Mandela.
“Zoleka was a tireless activist for health care and justice,” the statement said. “Her work to raise awareness of cancer prevention and her continued commitment to breaking the stigma surrounding the disease will continue to inspire us all.”
“Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this most difficult time,” it added. “Hamba kahle Zoleka, we will remember you.”
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Zoleka Mandela was admitted to hospital on September 18 for ongoing treatment for metastatic cancer that had spread to her brain, lungs, liver and spinal cord, among other areas, the family announced in a post on Instagram.
Zoleka Mandela speaks at an event in London, April 12, 2011. (Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images)
Recent scans had shown ‘significant’ progression, including several emboli – or blood clots – in her lungs. Ultimately, she died surrounded by family and friends.
Her family posted the statement with the words “Peace. Passion. Positivity. #TerminallyFree.” The family also thanked the medical team who cared for her and expressed their “sincere gratitude”.
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Mandela had made no effort in recent years to conceal her diagnosis and even document it for posterity. In 2013, she released a book, ‘When Hope Whispers’, which documented her family’s involvement in the fight against apartheid, her personal struggles with alcohol and drug addiction, the loss of her children and her battle with breast cancer.
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela with Zoleka Mandela and Mzwandile Masina and his wife Sinazo during Madikizela-Mandela’s 80th birthday party on September 26, 2016 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Frennie Shivambu/Gallo Images/Getty Images)
She spoke at length about the “social responsibility” she had as a member of the Mandela family. Nelson Mandela was the first president of South Africa after apartheid.
Mandela was born in 1980 and had six children – one of whom died in a car accident in 2010, and another who died after a premature birth in 2011.
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Mandela also spoke very openly about the sexual abuse she suffered in her childhood between the ages of eight and fourteen, which she blamed on her mother’s absence because “those who should have taken care of (her)” abused her made.
Zoleka Mandela, center, attends the memorial service for Winnie Mandela at Orlando Stadium on April 11, 2018 in Soweto, South Africa. (J. Gravin/Getty Images)
Her life, often full of tragedies, did not stop her from trying to help those around her: she campaigned against road deaths and the dangers children face from cars, and she documented her journey in the fight against cancer to raise awareness to increase and encourage others to take precautions.
She underwent treatment for a double mastectomy shortly after being diagnosed with breast cancer, but soon discovered she also had liver cancer, according to The Evening Standard.
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After the BBC named her one of the channel’s 100 women in 2016, she said it was “important for women to speak out, get tested and carry out their own investigations.”
“I spent so much time abusing drugs and alcohol and choosing that over my family and loved ones,” she said during an interview with the BBC. “I just hope that where he is with my daughter, he looks down and thinks, ‘She finally got it right.'”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Peter Aitken is a Fox News Digital reporter with a focus on national and global news.
