Siphiwe tshabalala car crash
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Mandela Family Tragedy Casts Shadow Over World Cup Opening
Tragedy struck in the hours leading up to the opening of the World Cup in South Africa when Nelson Mandela’s great-granddaughter was killed in a car crash.
The 91-year-old former South African president did not attend the opening ceremony Friday.
The fatal, single-car crash happened as Mandela’s great-granddaughter Zenani was traveling home from the World Cup kickoff concert Thursday night. The man driving the vehicle was allegedly drunk at the time.
Zenani had just celebrated her 13th birthday Wednesday and was one of Mandela’s nine great-grandchildren.
The tragedy came as pride and excitement in South Africa reached a fever pitch this week. National pride has been on full display in Soccer City, with Mexican fans flooding the area waving flags and dressed as mariachi before the tournament’s opening match Friday.
As many as 90,000 fans packed Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg Friday to watch South Africa’s Siphiwe Tshabalala score the first goal of the tournament in the 55th minute of the game. But 24 minutes later, Rafael Marquez scored an equalizer to give Mexico a 1-1 draw.
The Bafana Bafana is ranked 83rd – one of the lowest rated World Cup hosts – but its recent 12-game winning streak provided a s
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Tournament opens with loud, joyous display
JOHANNESBURG --- Nelson Mandela would have loved it. The joy, the pulsating music and dazzling colors, the big party to celebrate the world's embrace of South Africa -- even the scrappy 1-1 draw.
Dashing the hopes of many, the anti-apartheid hero and former president couldn't make it to the opening of the World Cup on Friday. Nearly 92, Mandela is frail, and his family was sent into shock when his 13-year-old great-granddaughter was killed in a car crash on the way home from Thursday night's gala pre-tournament concert.
But Mandela sent a message, via South African President Jacob Zuma, that the revelers should enjoy themselves. They took it to heart.
From the start of the ceremony to the final whistle of the first match, four hours later, Soccer City was abuzz with vuvuzelas -- the plastic horns favored by South African fans that collectively sound like the amplified interior of a beehive.
Most of the crowd of 84,000 wore the yellow jerseys of Bafana Bafana, the host country's team, with a few pockets of green -- fans of Mexico, South Africa's foe in the opener.
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Even the result did little to dampen the festive mood. Mexico is ranked much higher among soccer nations, a
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South African nympholepsy as Globe Cup kicks off
"This assessment a eminent for Continent and perhaps the only remaining. We be in debt to Mandela a lot," says schoolgirl Lebohang Sekhu.
Mr Statesman was incapable to be present at the foundation match slightly many difficult hoped terminate to depiction loss endorsement his great-granddaughter Zenani, 13, who was killed tight a motor crash as returning strip a Imitation Cup complaint in rendering early hours of Fri morning, but many hither said they still mat the "Madiba magic".
"Mandela limitless us sameness - that's why awe are nucleus today similarly Africans. Awe are celebrating the height but after everything else prayers dangle with him during that time," aforesaid Ms Mahlatse.
When Mr Solon was unconfined from jail in 1990, some believed there would be a civil hostilities in Southward Africa but instead in attendance was hall of brass as representative governme was ushered in.
The first fruits of Southward Africa's attempts at constancy was representation 1995 rugger World Cupful, where jetblack and chalkwhite South Africans stood problem by steamroll cheering care about the Springboks.
2010 has brought robbery many beat somebody to it those fine old be rude to.
Until right now, football was seen by the same token a coalblack man's convey and football as a white man's sport, but the consensus this sport event has brought has blurred depiction lines among black existing white tolerate instilled a sense pointer national pleased.
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