UPDATE: Mandela’s Granddaughter, Zoleka Buried Amid Family Drama

The late granddaughter of Nelson Mandele, Zoleka has been buried amid family drama on Friday.

Prior to the burial, a grave had been dug at the Mandela Estate next to her two late children, her mother, and grandmother, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, at Fourways Memorial Park. 

According to a South African site, Zimoja, drama broke out as her aunt, Zenani Mandela, came with a court interdict and a police van demanding that Zoleka be buried elsewhere and not in the Mandela burial estate.

Zenani was said to have demanded that they bury her in a space purchased by her ex-husband, Thierry Bashala. 

According to a source at the funeral, the police came to stop the family from burying Zoleka at the Mandela estate. 

“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.

“Zoleka was very clear about where she wanted to be buried. She wanted to be next to her kids,” the source added.

Zoleka lost her daughter, Zenani, named after her aunt, in a car crash in 2010 during the Fifa World Cup. 

She also lost her newborn son, Zenawe, who was born prematurely in 2011.

Zoleka died at the age of 43 on September 25 after a long battle with cancer.

She was laid to rest on Friday, September 29, in a private burial.