This is the first festive season that the Mandela family has spent without their daughter and mother Zoleka Mandela. Zoleka died on 25 September after a long battle with metastatic cancer that had spread to her organs after being admitted to the hospital for ongoing treatment.

Zoleka's children are currently living with her ex-husband Thierry Bashala who fathered two of her daughters. Zoleka's last-born child out whose father is an artist Andile Leeroy Cana is also with Thierry, however, the father has visitation rights. A family member tells ZiMoja that the girls are coming to terms with the passing of their mother. "They are doing okay. Every day they are trying. But they are in good hands with her ex-husband and are still dealing with the loss," she says. "Every day is different, but they are in good hands with Thierry. The last born was with Thierry and went to her father at the start of the holiday season."

When Zoleka passed, the father of her last born expressed his sadness and how he wished to have made peace with her before her passing. "I mourned her in the privacy of my home. This has been a very challenging time but we face challenges head-on," Leeroy said. The family member who did not want to be named went on to say: "This is the first holiday without her, it is tough. She was very loving and motherly and loved to have everyone she loved in one room, but Thierry tried his best to keep the girls happy."