Zindziswa "Zindzi" Mandela (23 December 196013 July 2020),
also known as Zindzi Mandela-Hlongwane, was a South African diplomat and poet, and the daughter of anti-
apartheid
Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
activists and politicians
Nelson Mandela and
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (born Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe Madikizela; 26 September 1936 – 2 April 2018), also known as Winnie Mandela, was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician, and the second wife of Nelson Mandela. She se ...
. Zindzi was the youngest and third of Nelson Mandela's three daughters, including sister
Zenani Mandela
Princess Zenani Mandela-Dlamini (born 5 February 1959) is a South African diplomat and traditional aristocrat. She is the sister-in-law of the King of eSwatini, Mswati III, and the daughter of Nelson Mandela and his second wife, Winnie Mandela.
...
.
She had served as her country's ambassador to Denmark, until her death in 2020, and was due to take up a post as ambassador to
Liberia.
[Chutel, Lynsey (13 July 2020)]
"Zindzi Mandela, Activist in South Africa and Ambassador, Dies at 59"
''The New York Times''. She served as a stand-in
First Lady of South Africa
First Lady of South Africa is the title held by the wife or most senior wife of the president of South Africa.
First ladies of South Africa Apartheid era
Post-Apartheid era
See also
* President of South Africa
* State President of South ...
from 1996 to 1998.
Her collection of poems, ''Black As I Am'', was published in 1978, with photographs by
Peter Magubane
Peter Magubane (born 18 January 1932) is a South African photographer.
Early life
Peter Sexford Magubane was born in Vrededorp, now Pageview, a suburb of Johannesburg, and grew up in Sophiatown. He began taking photographs using a Kodak Browni ...
.
Early life
Zindzi Mandela was born on 23 December 1960 in
Soweto
Soweto () is a township of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for ''South Western Townships''. Formerly a s ...
, in what was then the
Union of South Africa
The Union of South Africa ( nl, Unie van Zuid-Afrika; af, Unie van Suid-Afrika; ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the Cape, Natal, Tran ...
, to Nelson and Winnie Mandela.
The year of her birth was also the year that the
African National Congress
The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...
(ANC) launched its armed wing. Her parents were wanted by the government.
[Zindzi Mandela born]
South African History Online, 16 March 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2016. Zindzi was 18 months old when her father was sent to prison.
During her youth she was often left in the care of her older sister
Zenani Mandela
Princess Zenani Mandela-Dlamini (born 5 February 1959) is a South African diplomat and traditional aristocrat. She is the sister-in-law of the King of eSwatini, Mswati III, and the daughter of Nelson Mandela and his second wife, Winnie Mandela.
...
when her mother was imprisoned for months at a time.
Career
In 1977, when her mother was banished to the
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State ( nl, Oranje Vrijstaat; af, Oranje-Vrystaat;) was an independent Boer sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeat ...
, Zindzi went to live with her there. Zindzi was not able to complete her education until she was sent to
Swaziland.
[ Eventually, her mother was allowed to move back to ]Soweto
Soweto () is a township of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for ''South Western Townships''. Formerly a s ...
.[ Zindzi's father was offered a conditional release in 1985 by the then- State President, ]P. W. Botha
Pieter Willem Botha, (; 12 January 1916 – 31 October 2006), commonly known as P. W. and af, Die Groot Krokodil (The Big Crocodile), was a South African politician. He served as the last prime minister of South Africa from 1978 to 1984 and ...
. Her father's reply could not be delivered by either one of her parents. Consequently, Zindzi was chosen to read his refusal at a public meeting on 10 February 1985.
Her poetry was published in 1978 in the book ''Black as I Am'', with photographs by Peter Magubane
Peter Magubane (born 18 January 1932) is a South African photographer.
Early life
Peter Sexford Magubane was born in Vrededorp, now Pageview, a suburb of Johannesburg, and grew up in Sophiatown. He began taking photographs using a Kodak Browni ...
, and has also appeared in publications including ''Somehow We Survive: An Anthology of South African Writing'', edited by Sterling Plumpp (1982), and '' Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Words and Writings by Women of African Descent'', edited by Margaret Busby (1992). Zindzi studied law at the University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...
,[Jackson Jr., William E. (11 December 2013; updated 10 February 2014)]
"Madiba: In the Presence of Greatness"
The World Post, ''HuffPost
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
''. Retrieved 31 July 2017. where she earned a BA in 1985.
She served as a stand-in First Lady of South Africa
First Lady of South Africa is the title held by the wife or most senior wife of the president of South Africa.
First ladies of South Africa Apartheid era
Post-Apartheid era
See also
* President of South Africa
* State President of South ...
from 1996 until 1998, between her parents' divorce and her father's remarriage, to Graça Machel
Graça Machel (; née Simbine; , born 17 October 1945) is a Mozambican politician and humanitarian. She is the widow of former President of Mozambique Samora Machel (1975–1986) and former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela (1998–20 ...
.
Ambassadorship
Zindzi was appointed South Africa's ambassador to Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
in 2014. She first arrived in Denmark in June 2015. In June 2019, while Ambassador to Denmark, Mandela's Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
account sent a series of increasingly strongly worded tweets, where she discussed "trembling white cowards who are the thieving rapist descendants of Van Riebeck ic, and "uninvited visitors who don't want to leave" that caused significant controversy. Mandela-Hlongwane had previously that month expressed her "deep, pure unconditional love and respect" for "CIC" (leader) of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Julius Malema
Julius Sello Malema (born 3 March 1981) is a South African politician and activist who is a Member of Parliament and the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), a left-wing party which he founded in 2013. He was formerly the President of ...
.
While being investigated by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) is the foreign ministry of the South African government. It is responsible for South Africa's relationships with foreign countries and international organizations, and runs South A ...
(DIRCO) for breaching their social media policy A social media policy is a policy which advises representatives of an organization on their use of social media
Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other f ...
, Mandela remained defiant, tweeting that "I am not accountable to any white man or woman for my personal views. No missus or baas here. Get over yourselves #OurLand". She was ordered by foreign minister Naledi Pandor
Grace Naledi Mandisa Pandor (née Matthews; born 7 December 1953) is a South African politician, educator and academic serving as the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation since 2019. She has served as a Member of Parliament (MP) ...
to "conduct herself as a diplomat" and to adhere to the department's social media policy, and concern about her views was expressed by former president Thabo Mbeki
Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki KStJ (; born 18 June 1942) is a South African politician who was the second president of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008, when he resigned at the request of his party, the African National Congress (ANC ...
, and her views were described as hate speech by ANC veteran Mavuso Msimang, while her opinions drew support from the EFF and the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal Sihle Zikalala.[Meth, Oliver(23 June 2019)]
"Thabo Mbeki wants action to be taken against Zindzi Mandela"
''Sunday Tribune''. Her tweets came close to the end of her four-year term as ambassador to Denmark.[De Lange, Jan (23 June 2019)]
"The end of Zindzi Mandela’s term may have driven tirade"
''City Press''.
At the time of her death in Johannesburg, she was designated to take up a post as ambassador to Liberia, a posting described by family members as a "punishment" for her controversial tweets the previous year.[Mokone, Thabo (19 July 2020)]
"Niece says Zindzi's deployment to Liberia was 'punishment' for land reform tweets"
''Sunday Times''.
Personal life and death
Zindzi was married twice and had four children from her first husband: daughter Zoleka Mandela (1980) and sons Zondwa Mandela (1985), Bambatha Mandela (1989) and Zwelabo Mandela (1992). Her first husband was Zwelibanzi Hlongwane. She married her second husband, Molapo Motlhajwa, who was a member of the South African National Defence Force
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) comprises the armed forces of South Africa. The commander of the SANDF is appointed by the President of South Africa from one of the armed services. They are in turn accountable to the Minister ...
, in March 2013.[Louw, Poppy, and Leonie Wagner (6 March 2013)]
"Mandela's daughter marries MK veteran"
''Daily Dispatch''. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
Mandela-Hlongwane was said to have agreed to arrange a boxing match between Floyd Mayweather
Floyd may refer to:
As a name
* Floyd (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Floyd (surname), a list of people and fictional characters
Places in the United States
* Floyd, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Floyd, I ...
and Manny Pacquiao
Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao Sr. (; born December17, 1978) is a Filipino politician and former professional boxer. Nicknamed "PacMan", he is regarded as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time. He served as a Senator of the Phil ...
to coincide with her father's birthday in 2011. The match did not take place and the boxing promoter Duane Moody sued successfully for a US court to order that she pay US$4.7m, plus costs, in damages to Moody. Mandela-Hlongwane was expected to appeal.
Zindzi died on 13 July 2020, aged 59, at a hospital in Johannesburg. It was revealed that she had tested positive for COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
on the day of her death. However, the virus was not said to be the cause of her death as her family awaited an autopsy report. She was buried next to her mother, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (born Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe Madikizela; 26 September 1936 – 2 April 2018), also known as Winnie Mandela, was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician, and the second wife of Nelson Mandela. She se ...
, at Fourways Memorial Park on 17 July, a day before what would have been the 102nd birthday of her late father, Nelson Mandela.
Portrayals
* In the 2009 BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
telefilm ''Mrs Mandela'', Zindzi was portrayed by Refilwe Pitsoe.
'' (2009).
'' (1987).
''The Telegraph'', 15 December 2013.