nelson mandela

There is no discernable "little South Africa" in New York, the melting pot of the world, but on Friday the country claimed its piece of the pot when pockets of South Africans exploded with jubilant national pride onto the surprised streets.
• Gallery: United for Bafana Bafana

Fan Fests – massive, open-air big-screen gatherings to watch Fifa World Cup matches – attracted more than 18-million people at the 2006 Fifa World Cup in Germany. Now it's South Africa's turn to throw its own world-sized football parties.
• World Cup stadiums

The 11th of June marks the kick-off of the first Fifa World Cup to be held on the African continent. But the day has a further significance in the history of South Africa. For one: it is the day Nelson Mandela and seven of his comrades were convicted for sabotage.

Blind and visually impaired fans will be able to enjoy a special live-match experience at the 2010 Fifa World Cup. Six stadiums will each have 15 seats equipped with headphones, along with trained commentators reporting live on the action on the pitch.

South Africa's national football team, Bafana Bafana ("The Boys"), has a relatively short international history, only playing its first match in 1992 – two years before the country's first democratic elections.
• Football in South Africa

Bafana Bafana’s recent wins in World Cup warm-up matches have whipped South Africans into a frenzy – especially in Pretoria, where the national football team secured a nail-biting victory over Denmark on 5 June.
• SA buzzing with World Cup spirit

Former president Nelson Mandela was only the second-tallest man in the building when he met South Africa's final Bafana Bafana squad for the 2010 Fifa World Cup at a gathering at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Houghton, Johannesburg, on 3 June.

With just days to go before the 2010 Fifa World Cup kicks off, South Africans in remote villages, high-rise cities and sprawling townships are getting ready to celebrate the tournament with the best local food, fun and cheer.
• Flying the South african flag

The majestic Soccer City Stadium, venue for both the opening and final match of the 2010 Fifa World Cup, has won rave reviews from Fifa president Sepp Blatter, who described it as "a five-star stadium" and one of the most beautiful in the world.

It could be mistaken for any other street in Soweto, with small, well-kept homes and the daily bustle of pedestrians. One may notice a few extra restaurants and bars, but nothing out of the ordinary. Yet Vilakazi Street is one of the most famous in South Africa.