The death of former president Nelson Mandela's sister was kept a "secret" from him for almost a week.

A distraught member of the family revealed that Mandela was told about Nothusile Bhulehluthi's death only on Thursday.

Bhulehluthi, 82, died after a long illness on Saturday afternoon last week at the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital in Mthatha, Eastern Cape.

She had regularly suffered from severe chest pains, high blood pressure and age-related heart problems.

On Sunday, just hours after her death, Mandela, 93, was taken in a road convoy from his homestead in Qunu to Mthatha Airport where he boarded a flight to Johannesburg to "rest" at his residence in Houghton.

The Presidency emphasised that the move was due to maintenance work being done at his home in Qunu and appealed for his privacy to be respected.

But this week family members disclosed that Mandela was made aware of Bhulehluthi's death only six days later.

Bhulehluthi's daughter, Gloria Mkwedini, 47, said: "The family had been too scared to tell him ... they just did not know how he would react to the news."

Mandela, whose health has been a huge concern for his family, was admitted to hospital in January last year suffering from an acute respiratory infection.

On Friday, Mandela's daughter, Makaziwe Mandela, said: "Tata knows about his sister's death and he reacted the same way one would react with the death of a member of the family."

She declined to disclose when he had been told.

The former statesman, according to relatives, had a very close relationship with his sister.

Mkwedini added: "Madiba loved his sister immensely."

Bhulehluthi worked most of her life as a domestic in homes near Qunu. She is to be buried on Saturday next week in Kubomvu near Mthatha.