Nelson Mandela's granddaughter, Zoleka Mandela, has died at the age of 43 in South Africa.

Zoleka Mandela, granddaughter of South Africa's first democratically elected president, Nelson Mandela, has died of cancer at the age of 43.

She died on Monday evening surrounded by friends and family, a spokesman said.

In recent years, Ms. Mandela had become known for giving detailed accounts of her cancer treatment. He also spoke openly about his drug addiction history.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation said his work was inspiring.

He said it "raised awareness of cancer prevention" and "removed the stigma associated with the disease."

Ms Mandela also spoke openly about her battle with depression and the fact that she was sexually abused as a child.

He also worked to improve road safety after his 13-year-old daughter died in a car accident in 2010. He then lost a son who was born prematurely. He leaves behind four children.

Mrs Mandela, the granddaughter of Nelson Mandela's second wife Winnie, documented her story in her autobiography, When Hope Whispers.

At age 32, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, treated and in remission, but the disease later returned.

Last year he confirmed he had cancer in his liver and lungs, which then spread to other organs. She was treated as an outpatient but was hospitalized just over a week ago.

“What do I say to my children?How can I tell them that this time I may not be able to live my life as a survivor? How can I tell them everything will be okay when it isn't? I'm dying...“I don’t want to die,” he posted on Instagram early last month.

In an interview with Kaya FM in April, Ms Mandela said: “I am learning to accept my contingency.”

His candid revelations earned him followers on social media, where people left tributes on Tuesday.

“The absolutely tragic loss of someone following in his grandfather's footsteps. A decent and honest human being in a dishonest and hypocritical world,” said one person on X, formerly Twitter.

"You were one of the bravest people I know and you inspired many people on your life's journey of hope," another person wrote on Instagram under the Mandela family announcement.

Ms Mandela was only 10 years old when her grandfather was released from prison in 1990 after 27 years in prison.

She had only known him as an imprisoned man, and when he was released she looked forward to his return home.

Mandela died in 2013 at the age of 95.