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Mandela to Miss World Cup Opener - NYTimes.com »

Thinking today of Mandela, one of the Elders, and his great-granddaughter Zenani. Sorrow attends what should be great joy, just when the eyes of the world are on the nation he struggled so long to build and heal. May they be the eyes of compassion.

By BARRY BEARAK

Published: June 11, 2010

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.

The teenager was returning home from the event’s Thursday night kickoff concert in Soweto, an extravaganza that included stars like Alicia Keys and Shakira and 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 Mandela 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 Elders have condemned the reported killing by Israeli forces of more than a dozen people who were attempting to deliver relief supplies to the Gaza Strip by sea,” the 12—member group said in a statement issued in Johannesburg, where it met over the weekend.

The group, which was launched by Mr. Mandela on his birthday in 2007 to try to solve some of the world’s most intractable conflicts, called for a “full investigation” of the incident and urged the UN Security Council “to debate the situation with a view to mandating action to end the closure of the Gaza Strip.” “This tragic incident should draw the world’s attention to the terrible suffering of Gaza’s 1.5 million people, half of whom are children under the age of 18,” the group said.

Israel’s three—year blockade of Gaza was not only “one of the world’s greatest human rights violations” and “illegal” under international law, it was also “counterproductive” because it empowered extremists in the Palestinian territory, they said.

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—	The Hindu : News / International : Nobel-winning Elders deplore Gaza flotilla attack What can I say? Listen to the world’s Elders.