JOHANNESBURG — It should have been a moment of triumph — Nelson Mandela, basking in the cheers as Africa’s first World Cup opened.
Instead, South Africa’s beloved anti-apartheid icon stayed at home with his family yesterday in northern Johannesburg during the opening ceremony and game, mourning his 13-year-old great-granddaughter, Zenani, who died in a car crash on the way home from a tournament-eve concert in Soweto.
The Nelson Mandela Foundation said the tragedy “made it inappropriate” for the former president, who is 91, to attend the opening ceremony in Johannesburg.
“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 foundation said, adding that Mandela “will be there with you in spirit today.”
Police said the driver of the car had been arrested and charged with drunken driving. The unidentified motorist could also face homicide charges.
“The Metro police found that he was drunk,” Johannesburg Metro police spokeswoman Edna Mamonyane said. “He lost control of the vehicle, and it collided with a barricade.”
The Mandela foundation denied reports that the former president’s ex-wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, was in the car, but said she was treated in a hospital for shock after being told of the fatal accident. She was discharged after a few hours.