Rap legend Tupac Shakur's ashes will not be coming to South Africa next week.
In a sudden and unexpected about-turn, Afeni Shakur, mother of Tupac and head of the Tupac Foundation, decided to postpone the trip last night, a week before the event.
In an email to Delphine Klassen, who is heading the project, she wrote: "June 16 2007 may be a more reasonable time for me to personally and spiritually visit South Africa."
Record company Ghetto Ruff and artist Zola, who had agreed to host the Tupac Foundation entourage, which included Macy Gray and Talib Kweli, had already spent about R400 000 on air tickets.
A five-phase project to develop a memorial and arts park in Zola, Soweto, set for September 13, is going ahead despite the absence of Tupac's ashes. Joburg City Parks has donated 2ha of semi-developed land for the project in Zola.