Manaka Ranaka Opens Up About Dealing With Grief 7 Months After Daughter’s Death

• Manaka Ranaka recently opened up about how she is learning to cope with her daughter's sudden passing
• The actress, visibly heartbroken in her interview, spoke about the enduring pain of loss and having to learn to live with it
• Her message brought tears to her fans, many of whom took to the comments section to comfort her

Seven months after losing her daughter, South African actress Manaka Ranaka said the loss had a profound impact on her life.

The Generations: The Legacy star opened up in a candid interview on Engineer Your Life on 19 September 2025 about how she deals with grief, saying she had to come to terms with reality:

"Being a realist has helped me with my grief. You can't bring the dead back, you just have to learn to live without them."

Fighting back her tears, her speech was cut as the actress was overwhelmed with emotions over the loss of her daughter, Katlego, a loss, which she explained, her family members were unfamiliar with:

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"My mom does not know what it feels like to go through what I'm going through because she's never lost a child. My siblings don't know what my kids are going through; they've never lost a sibling. These are uncharted territories, I have no idea what the hell I'm doing, but I'm doing it."

Katlego, who was a mother herself, passed away at 24 years old on Thursday, 23 January. Her family confirmed that she died from natural causes.

Manaka's message moved social media users to tears as they sympathised with the immense heartache the actress was going through.

Watch her interview with Lungelo KM, who praised Manaka for her courage to discuss such a sensitive topic:

"Manaka is incredible. Privileged to have had such a deeply vulnerable conversation with her that will heal so many struggling with loss and restoration."

Fans express sympathy for Manaka Ranaka

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Online users took to the comments section to share their perspectives on dealing with grief. Read their comments below:

Makgetlane L. Tau said:

"Grief is funny, mahn. It doesn’t even get better with time; you’re forced into it and to figure it out as you go."

kholiz was shattered:

"Death is so final."

Gomolemo Ntsoeng wrote:

"I envy people who can put them up as their PP or wallpaper. I still struggle to look at my mom's pictures. It's been 3 years now, and it hasn't gotten any better. There's a sting that occurs every time I see her picture."

Charlz08 added:

"You never stop grieving, you just learn to walk with it. It's a process. Some days the waves are high or low, some days it's just quiet."

Boitshwarelo Lebo Ts recalled:

"The other time I travelled, I went on a vacation because I was down with grief. Guess what, I came back and it was waiting for me at home still."

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Sibongile noted:

"You see how her emotions fought with her words?? Grief has no formula. One day, you think you've got it figured out, the next, you feel like your whole world is falling apart. The pain never goes away."

Menzi Ngubane's wife celebrates their anniversary

In an earlier report, Briefly News shared a heartwarming message from Menzi Ngubane's widow, Sikelelwa Sishuba.

Sishuba looked back at what would have been their 10th wedding anniversary and expressed gratitude for having shared her life with the late actor.

Source: Briefly News