Johannesburg – An hour and a half before the Africa Cup of Nations opening ceremony, staff at the National Stadium in Soweto on Saturday were assembling structures on the pitch. The structures resembled brick walls. One of the walls had 'poverty' painted in black on it, another had 'HIV/AIDS' painted in red.
The entire soccer field was covered in rainbow coloured material.
The opening ceremony will start at 4pm and will be attended by President Jacob Zuma.
Fans, some blowing vuvuzelas, were allowed to enter the stadium at 2pm. At around 2.30pm heavy rain started to fall and supporters took shelter behind the stands as the the temperature dropped considerably.
The majority of fans were dressed in yellow in support of Bafana Bafana.
Earlier this week, the Afcon local organising committee said Saturday's game between Bafana Bafana and Cape Verde Islands was sold out.
About 88,000 supporters were expected to flock to the calabash style stadium from 2pm when the stadium gates open.
A total of 32 matches will be played in five host cities – Johannesburg, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Nelspruit and Rustenburg – with 16 teams taking part in the three-week showpiece.
South Africa was appointed as the host nation in August 2011, due to political turmoil in Libya, which had originally won the bid.
The country was given one year to prepare for the tournament. – Sapa