It is now officially confirmed that Zindzi Mandela, the youngest daughter of former South African President Nelson Mandela, and the late anti-apartheid activist Winnie Madikizela-Mandela was a casualty of the raging COVID19 pandemic
The Mandela family publicly relayed the sad news that Zindzi passed on, due to Covid-19 related complications shortly after testing positive.
Ms. Mandela, aged 59, passed on in a Johannesburg hospital, in the wee hours of Monday morning. Until her death, she was South Africa’s Ambassador to Denmark.
The Mandela family declared Zinzdi’s Covid-19 status against the family’s strict policy which prohibits the sharing of family health matters with the public
This cautious practice gained currency in the final years of Madiba’s life when speculation was rife regarding his health
The sad news comes as the COVID storm engulfing the country has threatened schools’ closure again, possibly for the remaining part of the academic year.
Zindzi’ son Zondwa Mandela, was quoted saying;
“Simply by virtue that there was a positive test, we are therefore obligated to function and work within the framework of the existing regulations related to such cases”
Read also : Zindzi, Nelson and Winnie Mandela’s daughter passes on
The anti-apartheid icon will be buried on Friday.
Ms. Mandela’s death has sobered up even the most skeptical South Africans, to the necessity of taking the pandemic seriously.
From the several cases reported around the world, it is quite clear that regardless of one’s station or status, no one is entirely safe from the pandemic’s worst consequences.
This painful lesson is wholly embraced by the majority of teachers who resumed duties in early June. Apparently, South African teachers are dissatisfied with the proposed plans for further re-opening, despite recurrent outbreaks in schools.
Ironically, the task force appointed by President Ramaphosa to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic has admitted the existence of hundreds of incidents among SA’s 26,000 schools.
What is curious is the team’s insistence that “only a small percentage” is infected, because schools were opened after thorough fumigation.
The position taken by The Taskforce has left teachers and many parents unhappy and generally disgruntled
Earlier, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party’s union ally, the SA Democratic Teacher’s Union (SADTU), warned that it would withdraw all its members from classes if re-opening proved unsafe.
