Mandela Escapes Injury After Collision Hits His Convoy in Johannesburg

A vehicle struck a police car leading Nelson Mandela's motorcade in the Johannesburg suburb of Rosebank, in what his staff called a narrow escape for the former South African president.

The incident occurred as Mandela was traveling to meet American actor Morgan Freeman for lunch. A driver in a convertible, reportedly wearing earphones and unaware of the convoy's sirens and flashing lights, plowed into the lead security vehicle while other traffic had already pulled over.

Mandela's aide Zelda la Grange described the crash as potentially fatal, saying it was "a miracle that no one was really hurt." She noted that the convoy had already been running about 45 minutes behind schedule due to heavy traffic.

Mandela himself appeared unaware of the collision, though members of his staff were badly shaken by the episode.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in November 2006, in its own words.