July 22, 2005
By Anish Abraham
ELLIS Park will be a hive of activity on Saturday when the Springboks and Wallabies meet in the second leg of the highly prized Nelson Mandela Challenge.
Making the event particularly special will be the arrival of the torch that has been carried across the country in honour of the iconic former president, who turned 87 on Monday, 18 July.
The torch was lit shortly after midnight on that day on Robben Island, in the cell where Mandela was incarcerated. Since then it has been carried through all nine provinces by a relay team of 2 500 runners. Birthday celebrations for Madiba were held along the route.
The Springboks are championing Mandela's 46664 Aids awareness campaign, by wearing the number on their jerseys during the challenge.
On Saturday morning the torch will arrive in Daveyton. It will be taken along the N12 through to Eastgate, and from there it will be carried through Observatory and Yeoville along Harrow Road and on to Ellis Park Stadium.
Francois Pienaar
Once at the stadium, Francois Pienaar, who captained the Boks to win the Rugby World Cup at Ellis Park in 1995, will carry the torch on its final leg.
The test is scheduled to start at 3pm. While the Springboks are the defending champions, the Wallabies have already won the first leg of the two-match challenge.
"The preparations have been fantastic," says George Stainton, the general manager of Ellis Park Stadium. "We are expecting a sell-out crowd."
The stadium has a capacity of 60 000. African Leopards and a South African students team will feature in the curtain raiser, he says.
Road closures
According to Wayne Minnaar, the metro police spokesman, most streets around the stadium will be blocked off to all vehicles from 6.30am to 7pm.
Road closures will be in place at the corners of Bertrams Road and Erin Street, Bertrams Road and Fitzroy Street, Van Beek Street and Angle Road, Sivewright Avenue and Beit Street, and at Siemert Road.
Metro police will have a heavy presence in and around the stadium, with officers in cars and on foot. The equestrian unit will also be on duty, with seven officers on horseback.
"There will also be six tow trucks to deal with vehicles that are parked illegally and are causing an obstruction," Minnaar warns.
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