Unite4Mandela: Supporters at the FNB Stadium in Soweto during the Bafana Bafana soccer match. Photo: Caro Malherbe
The Nelson Mandela Sports and Culture Day at the FBN stadium in Soweto saw both the Boks and Bafana Bafana play to victory.
The stadium was a alive with #humanspirit as a diversity of South Africans came to show their support for the two major national sports teams. Dressed in green and yellow, supporters came flooding in from all walks of life. The feeling was that no matter what the outcome, uniting together for a common purpose was a win for us all.
Not only did South Africans unite for their love of soccer and rugby but the day was in honour of tata Mandela #Unite4Mandela, the man who represents unity itself.
Bafana Bafana vs Burkina Faso
A sea of South African flags was seen and vuvuzelas heard as Bafana Bafana came running onto the field, ready to take on Burkina Faso.
With a score of 2-0, Bafana Bafana set the mood for the rest of the day. With so many fans cheering and encouraging our team, Burikina Faso did not stand a chance.
Man of the match, Siphiwe Tshabalala, scored the first goal in the first half and Luyolo Nomandela scored in the second half.
This win helped fans regain their belief in Bafana.Coach Gordon Igesund said he hoped that the team will be able to carry on with the trend for their important match against Botswana on 7 September.
FNB Stadium: South Africans came from all walks of life to show their support. Photo: Caro Malherbe
Springboks vs. Argentina
The amount of stadium goers doubled when the Springboks vs. Argentina game kicked off.
Playing their first game of the Rugby Championship Test series, the Boks brought the heat when they annihilated Argentina with a score of 73-13.
After the first half, it was clear that it was going to be an easy win. Although the Pumas held on by the skin of their teeth and showed fighting skill, they could sadly did not manage to beat the sterling team.
The Springboks showed great discipline by receiving only four penalties to Argentina out of the 16 handed out.
It was raining tries for the Boks while the roaring cheers from 50, 000 audience members gave the Boks even more steam for domination.
The team held the Nelson Mandela Sports and Culture Day Cup high as they celebrated their massive victory and Adriaan Strauss was named man of the match.
Springboks: Argentina stood no chance against the persistent Boks. Photo: Caro Malherbe
Bafana Bafana Legands vs. Italian Legends
The first match of the day was played by the SA Masters who lost 2-0 to the Italian Legend.
The Bafana Legends were the team who won the Africa Cup of Nations in 1996, two years after the first free and fair political elections in South Africa. The team played on Saturday in honour of the man who made it all happen.
After the sport, supporters were treated to some culture when the stadium became alive with music from some of South Africa’s top acts. Kurt Darren, Elvis Blue and Toya Delazy were some of the musical icons who performed and got the stadium rocking.
All proceeds from the day will be going towards building a new Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital.
The day was a mammoth affair for all South Africans across the country and was a great example of how far we have come in the fight for freedom and unity.
Halala: War cries could be heard all around the stadium. Photo: Caro Malherbe