Zindzi Mandela was an icon of post-apartheid
transformation, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday.
He said he was “deeply saddened” by the death of the former
SA ambassador to Denmark in the early hours of the morning, in a Johannesburg
hospital at the age of 59.
She had been posted to Denmark in 2015 and had been
designated to become South Africa’s Head of Mission in Monrovia, Liberia, said
Ramaphosa.
“I offer my deep condolences to the Mandela family as we
mourn the passing of a fearless political activist who was a leader in her own
right.
“Our sadness is compounded by this loss being visited upon
us just days before the world marks the birthday of the great Nelson Mandela
[on July 18].
“Zindzi Mandela was a household name nationally and
internationally, who during our years of struggle brought home the inhumanity
of the apartheid system and the unshakeable resolve of our fight for freedom.
“After our liberation, she became an icon of the task we
began of transforming our society and stepping into spaces and opportunities
that had been denied to generations of South Africans.
“Her spirit joins Tata Madiba and Mama Winnie in a reunion
of leaders to whom we owe our freedom,” said Ramaphosa.
The presidency also offered condolences to the late
ambassador’s colleagues in the department of international relations and
co-operation and the diplomatic community in SA and Denmark.
Zindzi was the youngest daughter of Nelson Rolihlahla
Mandela and Nomzamo Winnie Madikizela. She was raised in Soweto and educated in
SA and Swaziland.
Said the presidency: “Zindzi Mandela spent many years
involved in the liberation struggle and embraced roles in the arts,
philanthropy and business. In her political career she served as deputy
president of the Soweto Youth Congress, was a member of the Release Mandela
Campaign, and was an underground operative of Umkhonto we Sizwe.” Sowetan
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