Zenani Mandela, Nelson Mandela's Great-granddaughter, 13, NY Times
DGH
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/12/world/africa/12mandela.html?ref=world
Mandela's Great-Granddaughter Dies in Car Crash
By BARRY BEARAK [New York Times]
JOHANNESBURG - Heartbreak intruded on the opening day of the soccer World
Cup when Nelson Mandela's 13-year-old great-granddaughter Zenani was killed
in an auto accident here early on Friday. In response, Mr. Mandela canceled
a much-heralded appearance at a tournament depicted as a triumphant showcase
for his country and his continent.
Zenani Mandela was returning home from the event's Thursday night kickoff
concert in Soweto, an extravaganza with stars like Alicia Keys and Shakira
that was meant to launch the contest on a joyous note. At its conclusion,
the sky lit up with fireworks as happy attendees made way to their parked
vehicles.
According to police, Zenani died in a one-car accident on a Johannesburg
highway. The man behind the wheel, who has yet to be named, was accused of
drunk driving and may also be charged with culpable homicide, the police
said.
The Nelson Mandela Foundation issued a statement saying the former president
would now be unable to attend the opening ceremonies of the tournament.
The World Cup is being played in Africa for the first time, and the presence
of Mr. Mandela, the frail, 91-year-old liberation hero, was expected to be
an emotional highpoint to one of South Africa's proudest days.
"We are sure that South Africans and people all over the world will stand in
solidarity with Mr. Mandela and his family in the aftermath of this
tragedy," the statement read.
"We continue to believe the World Cup is a momentous and historic occasion
for South Africa and the continent and we are certain it will be a huge
success. Madiba will be there with you in spirit today," the statement said,
using a title from the Xhosa language by which Mr. Mandela is widely known.
Details of the accident remain incomplete. The Associated Press quoted a
police spokeswoman, Edna Mamonyane, saying the driver was found to be drunk:
"He lost control of the vehicle and it collided with a barricade."
Zenani had turned 13 on Wednesday. She is the grandchild of Nelson Mandela's
daughter Zindzi.
Early reports said that Zenani's great-grandmother - Mr. Mandela's second
wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela - had been in the car, but this was later
denied. A family spokesman told the South African Press Association that Ms.
Mandela, herself an iconic figure in the freedom struggle, was briefly
hospitalized for shock after learning the news.
Statements of condolence to the Mandela family immediately began
circulating. President Jacob Zuma said, "The nation shares your loss and
mourns with you, especially on the day in which our dreams and hopes come
alive in the opening of the first FIFA World Cup on African soil."
The Mandelas might rightly be considered the nation's first family. Mr.
Mandela's triumphs are well known to his countrymen, and so are his
tragedies. His oldest child, Thembikele, died in a car accident in 1969. His
second child, Makaziwe, died after living only nine months. His third child,
Makgatho, died of an AIDS-related illness.
Zenani was one of Mr. Mandela's nine great-grandchildren. She was the
grandchild of Zindzi Mandela, the elder of two daughters born to Nelson and
Winnie.
Winnie and Nelson Mandela divorced in 1996, ending a 38-year marriage that
endured the persecution of apartheid and the separation caused by his 27
years in prison. In 1998, he married Graça Machel, the widow of the
Mozambican leader, Samora Machel.
Even before the accident on Friday, there had been questions about whether
his frail health would allow him to attend.
It was not immediately clear whether the tournament organizers would
acknowledge the death in the pageantry of the opening day.
The cancellation of his appearance offered a sharp counterpoint to Mr.
Mandela's earlier and more vigorous years when, in a bold gesture as
president, he saluted South Africa's victorious team at the rugby World Cup
in 1995, urging his countrymen - black and white - to support a squad
associated by many black people with the Afrikaner elite of the apartheid
years.
The opening ceremony Friday had inspired hopes for a similar transcendent
moment, this time from soccer, the favorite sport of the nation's blacks.
Mr. Mandela was freed from prison in 1990 and became president after the
first democratic elections in 1994. In 1999 he stepped back from power, and
his successor, Thabo Mbeki, was elected to office.
But Mr. Mandela continued to exert enormous influence both within and
outside South Africa.
He played a central and persuasive role in lobbying for South Africa to host
the tournament. In 2004, when international soccer authorities awarded South
Africa the 2010 World Cup, Mr. Mandela said their decision was a perfect
gift for his country 10 years after its first democratic elections.
Then 85, he held aloft the trophy and said he felt "like a young man of 50."
The tournament is set to open Friday with a ceremony at a glittery new
90,000-seat stadium called Soccer City followed by its first game pitting
low-ranked South Africa's national team, nicknamed Bafana Bafana, or, The
Boys, against Mexico.
In a letter to Mr. Mandela made public on FIFA's Web site, Joseph S.
Blatter, the head of the soccer governing body, said, "The entire football
family mourns with you and your family, and today we stand by your side."
Celia W. Dugger contributed reporting from Johannesburg, and Alan Cowell
from Paris.
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: June 11, 2010