Ex-president Nelson Mandela will not attend the opening ceremony after his great-granddaughter's death on Friday.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation said Zenani Mandela, 13, died in a car crash when travelling home from the pre-World Cup concert in Johannesburg.

She was one of the 91-year-old anti-apartheid icon's nine great-grandchildren.

The Foundation released a statement saying it would be "inappropriate" for Mandela, or 'Madiba' as he is affectionately known in South Africa, to attend the opening ceremony.

"We are sure that South Africans and people all over the world will stand in solidarity with Mr Mandela and his family in the aftermath of this tragedy," added the statement.

"We continue to believe that the World Cup is a momentous and historic occasion for South Africa and the continent and we are certain it will be a huge success. Madiba will be there with you in spirit today."

The World Cup kicks off with a 40-minute opening ceremony at Soccer City starting at 1300 BST.

American R'n'B star R Kelly is one of 1,581 performers ahead of the game between the hosts and Mexico at 1500 BST.
The global TV audience for the tournament will be made up of viewers in more than 215 countries and will run into hundreds of millions.

South Africa president Jacob Zuma and Archbishop Desmond Tutu are also expected to be at Soccer City, the newly refurbished stadium designed to look like a calabash, an African storage pot.

"South Africa has come alive, and will never be the same after this World Cup," said Zuma, who hailed Mandela's role in securing the right to host the finals back in May 2004.

"Nelson Mandela worked hard so that we could win the right to host this tournament. We dedicate the World Cup to him.
"There are a few moments that define a nation's history. We stand on the threshold of one as we draw closer and closer to Friday, 11 June, when the World Cup officially begins."

The festivities began in earnest on Thursday, with Shakira among the artists at a vast pre-tournament concert in Soweto.
The Colombian pop star performed the official World Cup song Waka Waka and was joined by a cast of international stars, including the Black Eyed Peas and Alicia Keys, along with African stars Amadou & Mariam and Hugh Masekela.

Since it was chosen as the first African host of the World Cup in 2004, South Africa has spent about 40bn rand (£3.55bn) on stadiums, transport infrastructure and upgrading airports.

The tournament, which is made up of 32 nations, could add as much as 0.5% to the country's GDP in 2010 and will bring in an estimated 370,000 foreign visitors.

Danny Jordaan, chief executive of the local organising committee, said: "For me it will be a dream come true. It's a great moment in the World Cup's 80-year history.

"People said no African country could ever deliver this event. But we are showing that we can't just match what others have done but that we can do even better. Now the doubters are the believers."
 
As well as the iconic Soccer City - the biggest stadium in Africa - nine other venues will stage World Cup matches across the country, including Ellis Park, which is also in Johannesburg.

Cape Town, Pretoria, Polokwane, Rustenburg, Bloemfontein, Port Elizabeth, Durban and Nelspruit will host matches, too.
There are 64 games in total, with the final taking place at Soccer City on Sunday, 11 July.