Nail found in tyre after Mandela crash
Sizwe Mankazana, outside of the Johannesburg Magistrate court after his court case was postponed. Sizwe is been charged with murder after Nelson Mandela's great granddaughter was killed in a car accident. Mankazana who was allegedly under the influence was driving the car. Picture: Mujahid Safodien Sizwe Mankazana, outside of the Johannesburg Magistrate court after his court case was postponed. Sizwe is been charged with murder after Nelson Mandela's great granddaughter was killed in a car accident. Mankazana who was allegedly under the influence was driving the car. Picture: Mujahid Safodien
Johannesburg - A nail was found in a tyre of the car in which Nelson Mandela's granddaughter was killed when it crashed, the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court heard on Wednesday.
“The nail was embedded in the tyre... and went through the casing,” said Kenny Oldwadge, acting for Sizwe Mankazana, the driver of the Mercedes Benz. “There was slow deflation... because of the penetration.”
Accident specialist Craig Proctor-Parker said he could not dispute this.
He had examined the car's undercarriage, but not “extensively” as he did not have the equipment to lift the car. Proctor-Parker lay down under the car to conduct his examination, the court heard.
Oldwadge said an examination had been done on the car, and that the advice of another tyre expert was sought.
Mankazana, 25, a friend of the Mandela family, faces a charge of culpable homicide, and another of reckless or negligent driving.
He was taking Zenani Mandela home from a World Cup concert on the night of June 11, 2010, when they crashed just before the double-decker section of the M1 highway. The vehicle hit a steel barrier, which penetrated the car.
Zenani, in the back seat, was killed. Mankazana and another passenger were slightly injured, but neither went to hospital.
Oldwadge questioned several aspects of Proctor-Parker's accident report, submitting it was not accurate.
On Wednesday, Proctor-Parker said during cross-examination that the suspension on the car did not collapse, despite his testimony on Monday that it did.
“There's no contradiction... It's not a total collapse... there's no extensive damage to the suspension. The suspension had collapsed because the shock had broken.”
Earlier, the court heard that Proctor-Parker had not attended a tyre course which he claimed to have attended in his curriculum vitae.
“From what I have (been told)... you have been less than honest with this court in your evidence,” said Oldwadge.
“This, which you stated (in your CV) to be a course that you covered, is untrue.”
Proctor-Parker said he did not consider himself an expert on tyre failure, despite testifying on Monday that he had determined that a tyre did not burst or deflate during the accident. - Sapa