The youngest daughter of Nelson Mandela, the South African anti-apartheid activist and the nation’s first black president, Zindzi Mandela died at the age of 59. The immediate cause of death wasn’t known.
Zindzi Mandela was serving as the South African ambassador to Denmark since 2015. She died in a hospital in Johannesburg.
Zindzi was Nelson Mandela’s sixth child and his second with his second wife Winnie Mandela. She grew up at the height of the anti-apartheid struggle.
With her father imprisoned on Robben Island, she endured years of harassment and intimidation by the apartheid regime, along with her sister Zenani, and her mother Winnie.
Zindzi, who was also an active participant in South Africa’s freedom struggle, rose to prominence when she read out her father's rejection of then-President PW Botha's offer for freedom in 1985.
Tobias Elling Rehfeld, Denmark's ambassador to South Africa, wrote on Twitter: "I am so saddened to learn that Ambassador Zindzi Mandela has passed away. Zindzi was a dear colleague working tirelessly and with a smile to nurture and grow the strong friendship between SouthAfrica and Denmark. My deep condolence to the Mandela family!"
Most recently, she was known for her vocal support for radical land reform in South Africa. Zindzi is survived by her husband and four children.