At first, her cause of death was given as pneumonia; after Makgatho's death, his son from his previous marriage Mandla later announced that her pneumonia had been a complication of AIDS.

[2] When Nelson Mandela announced the cause of his son's death, he said: "Let us give publicity to HIV/AIDS and not hide it, because the only way to make it appear like a normal illness like tuberculosis, like cancer, is always to come out and say somebody has died because of HIV/AIDS, and people will stop regarding it as something extraordinary.

His first wife was Rose Rayne Perry (later known as Nolusapho).

[5][6][7] Due to Nelson Mandela having renounced his hereditary claim and Thembi's early death, Makgatho rose to become heir apparent to the chieftaincy that had once been held by Henry Mandela, Nelson's father.

Upon his own death, his claim passed to his son Mandla, who eventually succeeded to the title.