Nelson Mandela's daughter Zindzi dies in Johannesburg at the age of 59 - Daily Mail

Nelson Mandela's daughter Zindzi dies in Johannesburg at the age of 59

• Zindzi Mandela, 59, died this morning in a hospital in Johannesburg 
• Zindzi had been South Africa's ambassador to Denmark since 2015
• She rose to international fame in 1985 after reading her father Nelson Mandela's letter which rejected a deal with the South African apartheid government 

By Ryan Fahey For Mailonline

Published: 08:16 BST, 13 July 2020 | Updated: 10:41 BST, 13 July 2020

Zindzi Mandela, the daughter of South African anti-apartheid leaders Nelson and Winnie Mandela, has died at the age of 59, the spokesman of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) said today.

Zindzi Mandela, whose mother was anti-apartheid activist Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, rose to international prominence when she read out Nelson Mandela's rejection of then-president P.W. Botha's offer for freedom in 1985. 

The white minority government offered to release Nelson Mandela from prison if he denounced violence perpetrated by his movement, the Africa National Congress, against apartheid, the brutal system of racial discrimination enforced in South Africa at that time.

She read his letter rejecting the offer at a packed public meeting which was broadcast around the world.

State broadcaster SABC said the 59-year-old, who was serving as South Africa's ambassador to Denmark, died in a hospital in Johannesburg. It did not say why she had died.   

Zindzi Mandela speaks on stage flanked by her sister Makaziwe during the Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100 at FNB Stadium on December 2, 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa

In this December 5, 2013 file photo Zindzi Mandela, the daughter of the late Nelson Mandela poses for photographers as she arrives to attend the UK premiere of the movie 'Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom' at a cinema in London

Nelson Mandela escorts his daughter Zenzekile 'Zinzi' Mandela on her wedding day

'This is untimely. She still had a role to play in the transformation of our own society and a bigger role to play even in the African National Congress,' said ANC spokesman Pule Mabe. 

Mabe said further details would be provided in due course.  

Last year Zindzi stirred controversy by calling for the return of the white-owned land to South Africa's dispossessed Black majority.

'Dear Apartheid Apologists, your time is over. You will not rule again. We do not fear you. Finally (hash)TheLandIsOurs,' she tweeted in June last year.

Zindzi Mandela reads the refusal of her father, Nelson Mandela to leave prison after South African President P.W. Botha offered him conditional release on Feb. 10, 1985 in Johannesburg, South Africa

Catherine Duchess of Cambridge meets Zindzi Mandela (right) at the film premiere of  'Mandela: long walk to freedom' in London on 5 December, 2013

Nelson Mandela with daughter Zinzi Mandela Hlongwane (back) at his birthday party in Johannesburg, 1995

South Africa's foreign affairs minister Naledi Pandor has expressed shock at Mandela's death, describing her as a heroine.

'Zindzi will not only be remembered as a daughter of our struggle heroes, Tata Nelson and Mama Winnie Mandela, but as a struggle heroine in her own right. She served South Africa well,' said Pandor.

She is survived by her husband and four children.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

She is survived by her husband and four children. 

Who was Zindzi Mandela? 

Zindzi Mandela was born in 1960, just a year-and-a-half before her father was first incarcerated for anti-government activities. 

Her early life was marred with the constant imprisonment of her father and occasional removal of her mother for months-long prison sentences. 

Care for the young Zindzi often fell to her older sister Zenani in these early years.  

When Zindzi was 17 years old she moved with her mother who had been banished to Free State. 

In 1985, Nelson was offered a release from prison by President PW Botha, on the condition that he 'unconditionally rejected violence as a political weapon'.

With both Winnie and Nelson in prison, Zindzi delivered his rejection of the offer at a public meeting. 

The letter read: 'What freedom am I being offered while the organisation of the people [ANC] remains banned? Only free men can negotiate. A prisoner cannot enter into contracts.' 

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2020-07-13 08:39:33Z
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