Zoleka Mandela

Zoleka Mandela (born 1980) is a writer, activist, and Nelson Mandela's granddaughter. She has written about her addictions, her daughter's death, and her breast cancer.

Mandela was born in 1980 and is the daughter of Zindzi Mandela. She has spoken about sexual abuse in her childhood. Mandela was at times addicted to drugs including alcohol.

In 2010, Mandela's 13-year-old daughter was killed in a car crash on the way home from a concert. The accident was said to be due to drugs and, at the time, Mandela was recovering from a suicide attempt.

Mandela published her autobiography in 2013.

Mandela has had breast cancer which returned in 2016, five years after it was treated. She has used social media to describe the removed tumour and the side effects of her chemotherapy treatment.

In 2016, she was chosen as one of the BBCs "100 Women". She noted that her big regret was that she felt that she has only done worthwhile things since her grandfather's death. Mandela has campaigned against deaths caused by road accidents noting the particular hazards affecting sub Saharan African children who are twice as likely to be killed in car accidents as children anywhere else in the world.