Death never rests:

Nelson Mandela was due to attend the opening ceremony but withdrew following the death of his great-granddaughter.

Zenani Mandela, 13, died in a car crash when travelling home from the pre-World Cup concert in Johannesburg on Thursday.

There is a feeling that this World Cup can have a profound impact on how the continent of Africa is perceived by the millions watching from abroad

She was one of the 91-year-old anti-apartheid icon’s nine great-grandchildren.

From Bleak House: “The universe makes rather an indifferent parent, I am afraid.”

Charles Mudede—who writes about film, books, music, and his life in Rhodesia, Zimbabwe, the USA, and the UK for The Stranger—was born near a steel plant in Kwe Kwe, Zimbabwe. He has no memory...

9 replies on “Nelson Mandela’s Great-Granddaughter Killed in a Car Crash”

  3. Charles,
    I read that earlier. That’s quite shocking and sad. My deepest sympathy to Mr. Mandela and his family.

    As a side note, I think it surreal and repugnant that R. Kelly was even invited to perform (perform what?) at the World Cup opening ceremony music concert. At least this tragedy spares Mr. Mandela and Mr. Kelly from sharing the same dais or stage should that have come to pass.

  4. @3

    Um, have you ever been to Africa? They LOVE their R. Kelly there. There’s no better star to perform at the opening ceremony – probably thrilled the whole continent that he performed. They have no idea of his criminal history.

    As for the Mandela granddaughter, it’s very sad but shows just how dangerous transportation is in Africa. That’s how most westerners die over there – not from AIDS or malaria or some poisonous snake bite. It’s from being a passenger in a car on the road, where every single driver is drunk, the cars are barely functioning and the streets are broken, and there’s people/animals walking amongst the traffic. The roads are death traps.

  5. I just got done reading about this in the NY Times. How profoundly sad to have it happen at any time…but especially at this moment.

  6. @3,
    Indeed, I visited Africa 4 times and have lived there (3 years Peace Corps service). And, I know how dangerous bush taxis are. A friend of mine was in one when the driver fell asleep at the wheel. His fellow passenger was decapitated in the ensuing accident.

    I doubt automobile accidents top malaria deaths though.
    As for R. Kelly performing, I don’t dispute that they love him there. It doesn’t make it less repugnant. Clearly, you’re correct “they have no idea of his crimminal history.”

  7. @3
    I reread your piece. It’s probably true that most Westerners die in accidents. At first, I thought you meant the general population.

  8. Lark, off-topic but are you familiar with the writer George Packer? Among other books, he wrote the highly-acclaimed The Assassin’s Gate (about Iraq.) His first book was about his experiences in the Peace Corps, in Togo. It’s called The Village of Waiting and you might enjoy it.

    I saw it in a bookstore years ago and it caught my eye because I had remembered meeting a George Packer (along with his sister and a friend of theirs) in Ireland in 1979. The likelihood that it was the same person was slim, of course, but I looked at the photo in the back of the book and recognized him as, indeed, the same person.

  9. @8Roma,
    Indeed, I am familiar with Packer and the “Village of Waiting”. Gosh, it must have been written 20+ years ago. I also read his stuff in the New Yorker, Atlantic etc. He is a good writer.
    Good to hear from you Roma.

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