ACTRESS Manaka Ranaka has opened up about the passing of her daughter, Katlego, who passed away in January 2025.
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Speaking on Sip and Talk, a talk show hosted by her sister Dineo Ranaka on Mzansi Magic, Manaka spoke about her daughter’s illness, the questions surrounding her medical treatment, and how she’s been dealing with the loss.
Manaka (47) revealed that Katlego, who passed on at the age of 24, had been ill and had spent time in hospital before her passing.
She admitted that there are still questions about how long it took doctors to establish what was wrong with her daughter.
“We were getting little bits of information from the doctors as they came through, assessing symptoms and saying it could be this or it could be that.
“I don’t like to stay there. My child is gone. No amount of explanations of what happened is going to bring her back,” she said.
The actress said she’d rather focus on herself and her other kids than dwell on what happened.
“So, for me, it’s best that I stay for my sake, my son’s sake and my daughter’s sake.
“I would like to just swiftly move on. I don’t want to be dragging the kids back and forth,” she said.
When asked whether this was her way of building a wall to avoid confronting her emotions, Manaka said she believes life must continue.
“I don’t think it’s a wall. I don’t think it’s a coping mechanism. When the sun rises, we need to be ready for it. Life has to continue. It has to move on,” she said.
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Manaka also challenged how people approach grief and the expectations placed on those who’ve lost loved ones.
She questioned why society treats birth and death so differently.
“There were not hundreds and hundreds of people at the birth of my daughter. If we don’t see birth the same way as we see death, we have a lot to learn as black people,” she added.
