A cousin and childhood playmate of Nelson Mandela, Sitsheketshe Morris Mandela passed away this morning.
The Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory, on behalf of our Chairperson, Trustees and staff, sends our deepest condolences to his family and friends.
A cousin of Nelson Mandela, Sitsheketshe Mandela whose own mother died in childbirth, grew up with Mr Mandela in his mother’s house. Sitsheketshe’s mother was a sister of Nelson Mandela’s mother Nosekeni Mandela.
In an interview with Anna Trapido for her book Hunger for Freedom: The Story of Food in the life of Nelson Mandela Sitsheketshe recalled their childhood together in Qunu: “We boys had everything we needed from the cattle and fields.”
Of his cousin Nelson Mandela, he said: “I was younger than him so used to send me out to collect the cattle and then he used to milk the cattle himself and also take corn and grind it with a stone and we would eat it with amasi. There was marhewu and imifino ... we seldom bought anything edible but we lacked for nothing.”
Details of his burial will be announced.