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5 times Zoleka Mandela doted over her grandmother Winnie
The author and activist passed away on Monday evening after a long battle with cancer.
The late Zoleka Mandela and her ‘Day One’ Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. Pictures: Instagram/@zolekamandela and Dumisani Sibeko
In heart-warming condolence messages on social media, several said Zoleka Mandela had reunited with her lovely mother, grandmother, and grandfather, Zindziswa, Winnie, and Nelson Mandela, respectively.
Zoleka Mandela passed away on Monday evening surrounded by friends and family after a long battle with cancer.
Today marks Winnie Mandela‘s 87th birthday, and we look at five memorable times when Zoleka gushed over her grandmother on social media.
Five times Zoleka and Winnie Mandela were family goals
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‘She always wanted me to grow my hair,’ – Zoleka
“My day one,” as she usually referred to her, Zoleka posted a throwback picture of her late grandmother and political stalwart Winnie Mandela plaiting her hair a few weeks ago.
A wig gift after chemotherapy
In December last year, the author and activist reposted a Facebook memory of her wearing a wig her grandmother gave her after her hair fell off from chemotherapy.
She said it was 10 months before she captured the picture. Zoleka was diagnosed with breast cancer for the first time in March 2012.
She added: “Queenly reminder, Family support is more important than any treatment for a life-threatening disease like Breast Cancer.”
Pregnancy celebration
In 2018, Zoleka penned a heart-warming letter describing her pregnancy as being a gift and blessing from her grandmother .
She added: “My day one…we’ve always known you to be the glue of the family. Since your passing, I barely recognise myself let alone anyone else in this family. In losing you, we have completely lost one another. I’ve been lost without you. My therapist says I need to figure out who I am without you. You were the only family I really had, the only one who truly believed in me.”
Church memories
“I forgot how long the Good Friday service at church is, over 5hrs … 🙈 My Day One and I left the service so hungry, we had to stop and buy roasted corn on the side of the road to eat on route to the house … 😂 Time for our family lunch aka CHEAT DAY MEAL!!! 😜 #MyDayOne,” Zoleka wrote, sharing Good Friday moments with her grandmother on Instagram.
’I always knew that this loss would completely destroy me’
Returning to social media a few months after her grandmother’s passing, Zoleka penned a lengthy, heart-wrenching post, opening up about her grieving process.
“Saturday, 4th August 2018 marks the end of our mourning as a family … I don’t even know what that means exactly, how can anyone say how long you get over grief? Don’t think I ever will.
“I always knew that this loss would completely destroy me, I feel like I don’t even recognise myself anymore. Nothing will ever be the same without the one I loved more than I love myself.”
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