Nelson Mandela’s son, Thembekile is killed in a car accident

Updated: 30 Sep 2019

Nelson Mandela’s son, Thembekile is killed in a car accident

Thembekile “Thembi” Mandela, the eldest son of Nelson Mandela and Evelyn Mase was killed in a car accident while his father was serving life sentence on Robben Island. Mandela, who always played a brother figure for many of his inmates was filled with anguish at not being allowed by the authorities to attend Thembi’s funeral or to have access to details about the fatal crash. Thembi died when three cars collided on the fog-bound Touws River road, leaving four people dead and another four injured.

How we know this

01Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory, (2012), ‘Honouring Thembekile Mandela’, 22 February, [online], available at www.nelsonmandela.org(Accessed: 31 May 2012)
02Times Live, (2012), ‘Mandela gets closure on 1969 death of eldest son’, 22 February, [online], available at www.timeslive.co.za(Accessed: 31 May 2012)

Last updated · 30 Sep 2019

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2012, July 5). Nelson Mandela’s son, Thembekile is killed in a car accident. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0087617

South African History Online (2012) 'Nelson Mandela’s son, Thembekile is killed in a car accident', South African History Online, 5 July. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0087617 (Accessed: 9 October 2026).

South African History Online, Nelson Mandela’s son, Thembekile is killed in a car accident [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0087617, (accessed 9 October 2026).

"Nelson Mandela’s son, Thembekile is killed in a car accident." South African History Online, 5 July 2012, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0087617. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

South African History Online. "Nelson Mandela’s son, Thembekile is killed in a car accident." South African History Online. July 5, 2012. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0087617.