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Ndileka Mandela (born 22 February 1965) is a social activist, former ICU nurse, and the head of a rural upliftment organisation the Thembekile Mandela Foundation 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.

In 2017 Mandela became the first member of her family to reject the party of her grandfather, the African National Congress.

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. 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.

In response another grandchild of Nelson Mandela, Mandla Mandela, issued a statement praising his cousin and calling on others to follow her example.

In mid-2018, amid a debate on whether Nelson Mandela had been a "sell out", Ndileka Mandela came out in defence of her grandfather's legacy.

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. 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."

References

1. "Mandela's Last Years: In the bleak midwinter". News24. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
2. 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)
3. "Mandela grandchildren dispute ANC future". BBC News. 2017-03-19. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
4. mads (2011-04-03). "Nelson Mandela Family Tree". South African History Online. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
5. Graham, Stuart (2017-03-19). "Nelson Mandela's granddaughter turns back on his ANC party". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
6. "Mandela's granddaughter says #MeToo: 'I was raped in my bedroom'". News24. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
7. "Mandela's granddaughter reveals she was raped in her own bedroom". Retrieved 2017-10-26.
8. Reporter, Citizen. "Mandla Mandela praises sister Ndileka for breaking silence on rape ordeal". The Citizen. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
9. "Ending the Mandela 'sell-out' debate". News24. 2018-07-17. Retrieved 2019-01-07.
10. Friedman, Daniel (17 July 2018). "Malema one of many who feel Mandela sold out to white interests". The Citizen. Retrieved 2019-01-07.
11. Rahlaga, Masego. "Madiba's granddaughter hits back at detractors over sell-out claims". ewn.co.za. Retrieved 2019-01-07.
12. "2024 USBBY Outstanding International Books" (PDF). www.usbby.org. 2024.
13. "Newly Published, from Children's Books to 1970s Counterculture". nytimes.com. The New York Times. August 25, 2023. Retrieved September 11, 2024.

• Living people
• Mandela family
• 1965 births