Ndileka Mandela (born 22 February 1965) is a social activist, former ICU nurse,[1] and the head of a rural upliftment organisation the Thembekile Mandela Foundation[2] in South Africa.
She is the first born of Madiba "Thembi" Thembekile Mandela (1945–1969; Nelson Mandela's first born) who died through car accident while his father was in prison; sister of Nandi Mandela (born 1968) and the eldest grandchild of Nelson Mandela.[3][4]
In 2017 Mandela became the first member of her family to reject the party of her grandfather, the African National Congress.[5]
In October 2017, as part of the #MeToo campaign to denounce sexual violence, Mandela disclosed for the first time that she had been raped by her then partner in her own bed, five years before.[6] She later said she had been following in her grandfather's footsteps, who had disclosed the HIV status of a family member, in order to combat stigma and call for concerted action against sexual violence.[7]
In response another grandchild of Nelson Mandela, Mandla Mandela, issued a statement praising his cousin and calling on others to follow her example.[8]
In mid-2018, amid a debate on whether Nelson Mandela had been a "sell out",[9][10] Ndileka Mandela came out in defence of her grandfather's legacy.[11]
In 2023, she was co-author with Aaron Friedland, of the children's book The Walking School Bus, which was included among the 41 titles selected for the 2024 USBBY Outstanding International Books List.[12] In announcing its publication, The New York Times described the story as a "moving tale of two enterprising siblings determined to find a safe way to get to school."[13]
References
edit- ^ "Mandela's Last Years: In the bleak midwinter". News24. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
- ^ author, Nation News. "All's not rosy, says Mandela's granddaughter". www.nationnews.com. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
{{cite news}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "Mandela grandchildren dispute ANC future". BBC News. 2017-03-19. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
- ^ mads (2011-04-03). "Nelson Mandela Family Tree". South African History Online. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
- ^ Graham, Stuart (2017-03-19). "Nelson Mandela's granddaughter turns back on his ANC party". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
- ^ "Mandela's granddaughter says #MeToo: 'I was raped in my bedroom'". News24. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
- ^ "Mandela's granddaughter reveals she was raped in her own bedroom". Retrieved 2017-10-26.
- ^ Reporter, Citizen. "Mandla Mandela praises sister Ndileka for breaking silence on rape ordeal". The Citizen. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
- ^ "Ending the Mandela 'sell-out' debate". News24. 2018-07-17. Retrieved 2019-01-07.
- ^ Friedman, Daniel (17 July 2018). "Malema one of many who feel Mandela sold out to white interests". The Citizen. Retrieved 2019-01-07.
- ^ Rahlaga, Masego. "Madiba's granddaughter hits back at detractors over sell-out claims". ewn.co.za. Retrieved 2019-01-07.
- ^ "2024 USBBY Outstanding International Books" (PDF). www.usbby.org. 2024.
- ^ "Newly Published, from Children's Books to 1970s Counterculture". nytimes.com. The New York Times. August 25, 2023. Retrieved September 11, 2024.