Sport has the power to inspire and unite people. In Africa, soccer enjoys great popularity and has a particular place in the hearts of people. That is why it is so important that the FIFA World Cup will, for the first time ever, be hosted on the African continent in 2010. We feel privileged and humbled that South Africa has been given this singular honour of being the African host country.

No one in my family had ever attended school [...] On the first day of school my teacher, Miss Mdingane, gave each of us an English name. This was the custom among Africans in those days and was undoubtedly due to the British bias of our education. That day, Miss Mdingane told me that my new name was Nelson. Why this particular name I have no idea.

We tried in our simple way to lead our life in a manner that may make a difference to those of others.

Africans require, want, the franchise on the basis of one man one vote. They want political independence.

If you make one gift this year, make it the gift of knowledge.

As long as women are bound by poverty and as long as they are looked down upon, human rights will lack substance.

We know what needs to be done - all that is missing is the will to do it.