She knew where she would be buried and her final resting place was secured. She had prepared her family, and children and had a list including and excluding guests. Immediately after her passing, a hole was dug up by Kupane Burial at the Mandela Estate next to her two late children, her mother, and grandmother Winnie Madikizela-Mandela at Fourways Memorial Park. But today at her burial, which was meant to be peaceful, drama broke out between the Mandela family after her aunt who is the daughter of Nelson Mandela, Zenani Mandela after she delivered a court interdict to the family to have Zoleka buried elsewhere and not in the Mandela burial estate.

FIGHTING FOR HER SPOT

The now-divided Mandela family wanted to bury Zoleka next to her family while Zoleka's aunt, Zenani, came with a court interdict and a police van demanding they bury her in her own space purchased by her ex-husband Thierry Bashala. According to a person present at the funeral, the police came to stop the family from burying Zoleka at the Mandela estate. "There are legal documents that have divided the family. They were forced to move the body from the estate to where the ex-husband had bought the grave. These were orders made by her very own aunt, Zenani." The source adds that Zoleka was very clear about where she wanted to be buried. "She wanted to be next to her kids, and not estradeni (in the streets). This is a disgrace! This has brought a serious division in the family. People refused to stay for the rest of the ceremony. Some family members left before she could be buried. There is tension and this now means more legal battles." The insider claims that Zenani and Zoleka despised each other. "They know why. Only time will tell. I am not at liberty to disclose that. But the chaos that Zenani brought was irreparable. This could have been done days before instead of causing a scene. Zoleka did not want her at her funeral, and she knows but she came knowingly because she wanted to cause drama."

Zoleka Mandela's final resting place

Zoleka Mandela was meant to be buried next to her grandmother, mom and two children

TENSION

Zoleka died after an 11-year battle with cancer. She died on 25 September after a long battle with metastatic cancer which spread to her hip, liver, lung, pelvis, brain, and spinal cord. According to the family member, one of her wishes was to exclude certain people. In her diary entry, she listed the people she did not wish to have at her funeral or near her body. On the list is: Thiery Bashala, who is the father of her two children. Leeroy Andie Cana, the father of her last born Zingce. She also listed some people from the Mandela and Madikizela family; her aunt Zenani Mandela Snr, Mandla Mandela, Zukiswa Madikizela, Nsundu Madikizela, and Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo. Zoleka was diagnosed with breast cancer at 32 years old and went on to have a double mastectomy. As if that was not enough, she lost her daughter Zenani, named after her aunt, in a car crash in 2010 during the Fifa World Cup. In 2011, she lost her newborn son Zenawe who was born prematurely. In 2012, she married Thierry Bashala, and they had two children; Zanyiwe and Zenzile, but later divorced in 2020. In 2020 Zoleka fell in love with painter Andile Cana and had her last-born daughter Zingce in 2022.