Mourners gathered today in South Africa for the funeral of Nelson Mandela’s 13-year-old great-granddaughter who was killed in a car crash.
Zenani Mandela was returning from the World Cup opening concert at the time of her death. Police say the close family friend who was driving may be charged with drunk driving and homicide.
Today’s funeral was held in the chapel of the Johannesburg private school that the child attended. She was a member of the school’s choir, marimba club and drum corps, and had told relatives she wanted to be a cosmetic surgeon.
A private burial was held earlier today, and the public were welcomed to the chapel service, with several hundred people attending, including an overflow crowd in a tent outside.
Mr Mandela did not attend the World Cup opening ceremony and first game because he was mourning her death. Mr Mandela emerged stiffly from a car and leaned on a walking stick as he arrived for the service.
The anti-apartheid icon (90), arrived accompanied by his wife, Graca Machel, and was driven from the school’s front gates to the chapel a few minutes after the service began.
He took a front pew, his face sombre, with a corsage of pink roses pinned to the lapel of his black coat.
Also among the mourners was his ex-wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Zenani’s great-grandmother.
Mourners, including the child's classmates in school blazers, each held a single white rose. They stood to sing Amazing Grace as the funeral began.
Then a montage of family portraits including one of Zenani hugging Mr Mandela was projected on a screen as a recording of Lean On Me played.
AP