Iconic Soweto stadium prepares for Mandela Memorial
Nelson Mandela made his last public appearance during a surprise appearance at the FNB stadium during the 2010 World Cup Final.
It was here that Nelson Mandela made his last public appearance.
The anti-Apartheid icon's surprise showing at the FNB stadium during the 2010 World Cup was the emotional pinnacle of a tournament that - like South Africa's transition to democracy - surpassed all expectation.
For the month-long duration of the tournament, which the South African leader had lobbied hard to host, Mandela had been absent from proceedings as he mourned the death of a beloved great-granddaughter.
Despite his loss, Mandela did not fail to show up on the final day of the tournament.
"Madiba! Madiba!" the crowd in Soweto's cavernous Soccer City stadium chanted, many in tears at being afforded a rare glimpse of Mandela, who died December 5 at the age of 95.
On Tuesday, the mood in FNB Stadium -which is situated south west of Johannesburg - will once again be a mix of sadness and celebration as more than 50 world leaders join tens of thousands of South Africans for a mammoth memorial service.
US President Barack Obama and former presidents Jimmy Carter, George W Bush and Bill Clinton have confirmed attendance, along with 13 African leaders.
Even U2 frontman Bono - one of Mandela's many celebrity friends - will be paying his respects.
Once the crowd reaches 90,000, South African authorities will redirect visitors to three nearby stadiums, where they can follow the proceedings via live transmission on a series
of giant screens.
It won't be the first time that Mandela will have attracted such a large crowd at the stadium, which lies a few kilometres from the Soweto home he once shared with his ex-wife
Winnie, in the epicentre of the anti-Apartheid struggle.
In 1990 - just a few days after Mandela was released after 27 years of incarceration - he addressed a crowd of 100,000 in the very same spot.
"This is a man who sacrificed his life," Mandela's political mentor and fellow prisoner, Walter Sisulu, introduced the benign-looking grandfather at the time. Mandela's speech that day, in which he stressed the importance of education and combatting crime, did not go down in history as one of his most memorable.
The crowd was spellbound nonetheless, and - though the townships were gripped by political violence at the time - dispersed peacefully.
On Monday, as the sun beat down on the giant stadium - which was rebuilt in the shape of a calabash for the purpose of the 2010 World Cup - security was once again at the top of the agenda.
A group of around 200 local men and women were gathering at the venue to apply for a day's work conducting crowd control.
Though the chance to earn around 200 rand (14 euros) is a welcome prospect, so too is the chance to serve their former leader, a female applicant told dpa.
"For Madiba, we would do it for free. We will never forget what he did for us," 19-year-old Keamogetse Monare said.
Sipho Sidambe, events manager at a private security company overseeing the memorial, was only a boy when Mandela was released from prison and began talks regarding the emancipation of South Africa from white minority rule.
"We need to make sure everyone is safe in- and outside the stadium," he said. "My wish is for everything to go well and for everyone to be at peace with his death.''
-Sapa-dpa