Nelson Mandela is very close to a god in South Africa. In other parts of the world he is a well-respected statesman, with honorary awards having been given to him by institutions from Harvard University on down, but in South Africa he is beyond a man. He is above reproach, omnipresent, and his wishes are command.
In a country where racial tensions still make the headlines almost daily, here is a black man whom white South Africans seem to universally speak highly of. I have heard whites say negative things about other leaders, both black and white, and both in personal conversation and on the radio and in newspapers. But not once have I heard a white say a single negative thing about Mandela.
He seems above race. He is simply the father of modern South Africa. As such, Mandela is everywhere one looks. His visage is found on the five rand coin. In bookstores these days, one finds three types of reading material prominently displayed at the entrances: South Africa country guides, World Cup books and Nelson Mandela books. In Cape Town, one can see a new opera called "African Songbook: A Tribute to the Life of Nelson Mandela." Mandela's name has taken over the country's sixth-largest city; what once was Port Elizabeth is now called Nelson Mandela Bay. And in every other city I've visited in South Africa I've seen at least one street named Mandela. Johannesburg, the country's heart, even has its Nelson Mandela Square, a ritzy shopping area centered around a giant statue of the man. The house where Mandela once lived in Johannesburg is now a museum. 
ESPN's prime broadcasting site in Nelson Mandela Square.
It is hard to believe that someone so revered and honored is still alive. Usually the clouds of distant memory are required for such things. But Mandela is set to celebrate his 92nd birthday on July 18.
And it seemed it would be the culmination of his time on earth on June 11, when he was supposed to welcome in person the world's biggest sporting event to the country he struggled to bring to democracy and respect. Mandela is frail and rarely makes public appearances anymore, but in the weeks prior he had gone through medical checkups and was given the green light to attend the opening ceremonies and soccer match between Bafana Bafana and Mexico.
The crowd of 85,000 at Soccer City stadium was eager to see him. I was eager to try and spot him down on the field or up in a box in the stands or wherever he might appear. And when his absence was announced there was a collective and confused holding of breaths. Then a message from Mandela was relayed to us: Still, “the game must start and we should enjoy the game.” The crowd's vuvuzelas exploded in obeyance.
But it was all for Mandela, and none for the man who was actually speaking the words to the stadium and the world. For at that moment, Jacob Zuma, the current South African president, standing at a podium down on the field and in front of the cameras seemed to be only a mouthpiece for a higher figure, like a mere prophet relaying messages from above. And indeed, as instructed, we did all enjoy the game.