*Zindzi Mandela tested positive for the coronavirus the day she died, according to her son Zondwa Mandela.
According to the South African Broadcasting Corporation, Zondwa, 33, says the family is waiting for “a complete and full autopsy” to come back, per PEOPLE.
“But there were other tests that were conducted and my mother did in fact test positive for COVID-19 on the day of her passing,” Zondwa told SABC News. “Although this doesn’t therefore mean that she died of COVID-19 related complications, but simply that she tested positive for it.”
Zindzi, 59, was the youngest daughter of former President Nelson Mandela and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. She died at a Johannesburg hospital early Monday morning, but her cause of death has not yet been revealed.
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I offer my deep condolences to the Mandela family as we mourn the passing of a fearless political activist who was a leader in her own right. Our sadness is compounded by this loss being visited upon us just days before the world marks the birthday of the great Nelson Mandela. pic.twitter.com/RC0YQ6VEvf
— Cyril Ramaphosa ?? #StaySafe (@CyrilRamaphosa) July 13, 2020
The Nelson Mandela Foundation issued a statement on her passing, writing, “We have been shocked to wake to the news of the untimely passing of Zindziswa Mandela … Zindzi was someone we had come to know well and to love. She was our friend,” they wrote, adding that their “thoughts are with her family and friends.”
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said he was “deeply saddened” by Zindzi’s death.
“I offer my deep condolences to the Mandela family as we mourn the passing of a fearless political activist who was a leader in her own right,” Ramaphosa said in a statement. “Our sadness is compounded by this loss being visited upon us just days before the world marks the birthday of the great Nelson Mandela.”
Zondwa, said that his mom had several tests done prior to her death, and that “those tests will give us further information as to what could have actually led to her untimely death.”
Zindzi Mandela, who served as South African ambassador to Denmark, will be laid to rest on Friday morning, according to Zondwa.
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