Nearly three years after the death of author and activist Zoleka Mandela, the father of her youngest child, fine artist Leeroy Andile Cana, is reportedly struggling to maintain a meaningful relationship with their daughter amid an ongoing family dispute over access.
An insider within Cana’s camp told Buzz Life News, the artist has effectively been barred from seeing his daughter, Zingce, who has been living with the Mandela family since Zoleka’s death in September 2023. The source claims the strained relationship stems from the breakdown of Cana and Zoleka’s relationship during the final months of her life.
“The relationship ended badly, and Zoleka made it clear that she wanted him to stay away from her family,” the source said. “He’s devastated because people think he’s a deadbeat father, but that’s not how he sees himself. He wants to be involved in his daughter’s life.”
Cana, who is known in the art world for hand-painted portrait jackets and custom fashion pieces, has worked with celebrities including Sol Phenduka, Somizi Mhlongo and Vusi Nova, among others.
In recent social media posts, Cana publicly expressed his frustration over the limited access he has to his daughter.
“I’m not happy that I don’t have much access to my child. I want her to be with me and play with me all the time,” he wrote before adding, “Daddy loves you. I’ll be with you soon.” He also appealed to followers for recommendations for a lawyer specialising in children’s matters.
The situation has reignited public debate surrounding Cana’s role during Zoleka’s final years after old social media posts resurfaced accusing him of abandoning her while she was pregnant and undergoing cancer treatment.
One widely shared post read: “He let her become a single parent while battling cancer altogether. His vile and disgusting. What kind of guy does that to a woman he once loved seeing her go through so much altogether alone?”
The post divided opinion online. While some criticised Cana, others questioned whether it was fair to expect him to remain in the relationship solely because Zoleka was ill.
One commenter wrote: “But you can’t expect him to be with her out of pity. He was only going to treat her badly. She needed to be surrounded by people who loved her.”
Another commented: “Women on cancer treatment are always advised to abstain or use birth control to avoid pregnancy, because of possible miscarriage or having a baby born with genetic complications.”
Before her death, Zoleka herself spoke openly about the painful end of their relationship. In one emotional social media post while pregnant. “I never imagined I’d be doing this pregnancy alone,” reflecting on the heartbreak she experienced after the relationship ended.
Despite the separation, Cana previously said he had hoped they would eventually reconcile.
“I know things were not perfect between us before her passing, but she had allowed me to see our child and we were trying to mend things,” he said.
“I still think she was hurt when we separated. I was hoping to mend things, but I guess God had other plans.”
Following Zoleka’s passing, Cana also honoured her final wishes by staying away from her funeral after discovering his name was included on a handwritten list of people she did not want attending her service.
Zoleka Mandela, the granddaughter of Nelson Mandela and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, died on 25 September 2023 at the age of 43 after a long battle with metastatic breast cancer.
She was the mother of six children. Her eldest son, Zwelami, was born in 2003. She later had two daughters, Zanyiwe (born in 2014) and Zenzile (born in 2019), with her former husband Thierry Bashala. Her infant son, Zenawe Zibuyile Mandela, died shortly after birth in 2011. Her youngest daughter, Zingce, was born in April 2022 and is Cana’s child.
An associate to the Mandela family said, “He does nothing for the child, so? Alllow the child to be raise din a healthy and happy environment, that is what is happening right now.”
The artist’s biggest concern is not the criticism directed at him online, but the fear that his daughter will grow up without knowing him. Friends say he has repeatedly expressed his desire to build a meaningful father-daughter relationship and believes it is in her best interests to have both sides of her family in her life.
