Mandela to attend World Cup closing ceremony

Nelson Mandela will greet the fans at Soccer City stadium at the World Cup closing ceremony on Sunday, but will likely return home to watch the game on television, his grandson told AFP.

“He’ll come just before the opening (of the ceremony) to greet the fans before heading back home,” said Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela, who speaks on behalf of the family.

“He’s going to greet the fans for fifteen, thirty minutes,” he said. “He will watch the soccer at home.”

South Africa’s first black president turns 92 in just one week, and appears frail when he makes his increasingly rare public appearances.

The Nobel laureate played a crucial role in bringing the World Cup to South Africa, but has yet to attend a match.

The anti-apartheid icon cancelled his appearance at the June 11 opener after his 13-year-old great-granddaughter died in a car accident on the eve the tournament.