Generations: The Legacy actress Manaka Ranaka shared a heartfelt tribute to her late daughter, Katlego, during her memorial service on 30 January 2025. Speaking at the San Salvador Catholic Church in Leondale, Ekurhuleni, Manaka explained how she intentionally stepped back from using her fame to overshadow Katlego’s dreams, wanting her daughter to shine on her own.
According to Daily Sun, Manaka revealed that, while it was painful for her as a mother, she deliberately allowed Katlego to forge her own path. “The way my job has come between me being an extremely supportive mum to my daughter, I decided that I didn’t want my fame to overshadow who she can be. So, in most things, like Ekurhuleni Agricultural College, I would let her go shine on her own,” she shared.
Manaka explained that she believed Katlego needed the opportunity to stand on her own without the influence of her famous mother. “Had I not done that, you wouldn’t have given her a chance. You would’ve given someone else a chance. So, she had to go and shine on her own,” she said. “Today people speak of Katlego as Kat, KGC, and Kitty – her name. Not as Lerato’s child from Stokvel or Lucy’s child from Generations: The Legacy.”
Reflecting on Katlego’s character and traits, Manaka noted that her daughter had inherited her own selflessness. “Katlego inherited that from me. We put everybody ahead of us. We don’t know why or how, but we did things last for ourselves,” she said. “We would eat last, or we’d laugh at the end.”
Manaka also shared that Katlego, who had been studying animal production at the Ekurhuleni Agricultural College, had a deep love for animals. “Her love of animals is what made me lead her to studying agriculture. I’ve always had a dream to have a farm, and she loved animals. If she’d passed really well in matric, she would’ve studied to be a veterinarian,” Manaka said, adding that they had hoped this path would keep Katlego close to her dreams.
Though her daughter’s life was cut short, Manaka is grateful for the love and support people continue to show Katlego. “Thank you for seeing my child as Katlego. I love the stories I’m hearing about her,” she said.
