Mandela's Great-Grandchild Killed in World Cup Crash

13-year-old was in car accident after concert
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jun 11, 2010 6:40 AM CDT
Mandela's Great-Grandchild Killed in World Cup Crash
Zenani Mandela is front left in this family file photo.   (Debbie Yazbek)

Nelson Mandela's 13-year-old great-granddaughter was killed in a car crash on the way home from a concert in Soweto on the eve of the World Cup. Zenani Mandela died in the one-car accident after attending the World Cup kickoff concert at the Orlando Stadium. Police have charged the unidentified driver with drunken driving, and he could face homicide charges later. He lost control and crashed into a barricade.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation said Mandela would not attend today's World Cup opening ceremony and game in Johannesburg, dashing South Africans' hopes the frail 91-year-old former president would make a rare appearance. Mandela and his family were "torn up" by the accident, the foundation said. It denied reports that the former president's ex-wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, was in the car. (More Nelson Mandela stories.)

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