Former South African president Nelson Mandela hailed the World Cup as a chance to break down barriers as the host country kicked off the month-long party yesterday with a star-studded concert on the eve of the competition.
As international artists such as Shakira, the Black Eyed Peas and Alicia Keyes prepared to take to the stage at the historic Orlando stadium in Soweto, the township’s most famous ex-resident welcomed a new chance to combat prejudice.
“The 2010 World Cup is more than just a simple game,” Mandela, the country’s first black president, said in a message to soccer’s governing body FIFA. “It symbolizes the power of football to bring people together regardless of their language, color of their skin, their politics or religion.”
PHOTO: REUTERS
As the last of the 32 teams flew in, South Africa was caught up in a wave of euphoria not seen since the demise of the whites-only apartheid regime and Mandela’s election 16 years ago.
Flag sellers who set up stalls by traffic lights struggled to keep up with demand and even police officers wore jackets in South Africa’s six national colors.
Tens of thousands took to the streets of Johannesburg on Wednesday to cheer on the Bafana Bafana (the Boys) national side as they paraded in an open-top bus, whipping up extra fervor ahead of their debut match today against Mexico.
PHOTO: AFP
Crowds turned the streets of the Sandton business district into a cacophonous sea of yellow and green, honking ear-splitting vuvuzela horns as the team waved at them from an open-top bus and there were similar scenes throughout the city.
Schoolchildren were dismissed at midday for a special month-long World Cup holiday, bringing many youngsters onto the sidewalk with their parents for the festivities.
The front-page of the Citizen proclaimed “Bafana Mania!” while an editorial in the same paper said the outbreak of patriotism in a country which is still struggling to bridge a racial divide can only be a force for good.
PHOTO: AFP
“For one brief shining moment we can forget the problems that beset the country and hopefully build on the enthusiasm and patriotism sweeping the land,” it said.
“South Africans are late believers but once they believe, they are fanatical believers,” said Danny Jordaan, the chief executive of the organizing committee, at a final pre-tournament session with reporters.
Jordaan was particularly excited by the prospect of an appearance by Mandela at today’s opener but still sounded a note of caution that the 91-year-old would be able to attend.
The concert at Orlando stadium was scheduled to begin at 8pm last night, with tens of millions of people expected to watch on television.
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