The grand-daughter of the late Nelson Mandela, Zoleka Mandela has given birth to a baby girl.
Zoleka Mandela and her partner, Thierry Bashala welcomed their baby girl Zanyiwe Zenziwe Bashala into the world yesterday.
Little Zanyiwe was born at 11h20am yesterday at Parklane Clinic.
“We thank you for your unforgettable support and endless love throughout our miraculous pregnancy that has inevitably brought us to this most memorable day,” the couple said in a joint statement.
During her recent interview, Mandela described her pregnancy as a miracle as it came after years of struggle with her drug addiction, breast cancer and the loss of her 2 children.
Her daughter Zenani passed away in a car accident in 2010; a year later she had a son who died shortly after birth.
She also has a 10-year-old son, Zwelami.
Zoleka is the daughter of Zindzi Mandela.
Explaining on her website why she still uses her grandfather’s surname, Zoleka said: “Because my parents never married, and my father never paid inhlawulo or ‘damages’ for making my mother pregnant – which is our African tradition – I was named and raised as a Mandela.”