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.

Greeted with ululations and blasts from vuvuzelas, the South African squad took to the pitch in an open training session at Wits University’s Sturrock Park ground in Johannesburg on Tuesday afternoon.

South African Tourism and National Geographic Channel have launched a global search for the world’s top adventurers, who will be brought to South Africa for a week-long thrill-fest.

Uzbekistan finished bottom of their World Cup qualifying group, but the country will have the honour of supplying the referee for the opening match of the 2010 Fifa World Cup at Soccer City Stadium, Johannesburg on Friday.

Nearly half the minibus taxis operating on the Johannesburg’s Bus Rapid Transit system route between Soweto and Ellis Park stadium will be removed as part of a deal which will see taxi owners get shares in a new bus operating company.

South Africa take on Mexico at Soccer City Stadium, Johannesburg on Friday in the opening match of the 2010 Fifa World Cup. It promises to be a thrilling encounter, with Bafana Bafana’s players oozing confidence, though well aware that the Mexicans will be tough to beat.

With days to go to kickoff, World Cup fever has hit South Africa in earnest. Confidence and excitement levels on the streets have reached a 10-year high as the country counts down to what many South Africans are describing as a “second miracle,” after the country’s transition to democracy in 1994.

Blind and visually impaired fans will be able to delight in 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 is now just days away from the party of a lifetime. The signs are there for all to see – the millions of flags, the enormous murals draped around buildings, the clatter of helicopters, the droning of vuvuzelas, and the orderly chaos as millions of people gear up for global football’s showpiece event.

A visibly emotional Fifa President Sepp Blatter said he could not express his feelings as he was awarded the Order of the Companion of OR Tambo for the instrumental role he played in bringing the Fifa World Cup to the African continent for the first time.