The broad and infectious smile that was on the face of former President Nelson Mandela at Soccer City stadium ahead of the final 2010 FIFA World Cup match between Spain and the Netherlands on July 11 will forever be etched on the minds of millions of South Africans.
The elder statesman once said "the World Cup will help unify people and if there is one thing in this planet that has the power to bind people, it is soccer".
These words rang true when one heard the constant hum of the vuvuzela. South Africans sang the national anthem in unison. The national flag was waved proudly by every South African, pride and joy was plastered on people's faces, car mirrors and windows donned the national flag and in houses, schools, offices and hospitals, flags could be seen waving proudly in the winter breeze.
The smiling faces of strangers and the universal subject of football on everyone's lips showed that South Africans were gone soccer crazy.
A year after the spectacular FIFA World Cup tournament on home soil, my heart is still filled with pride and patriotism - every time I think back to 2010.
The former President spent his entire life building and uniting the nation- and today South Africans from all walks of life, still feel the pride they felt when the final whistle was blown signaling the country's successful hosting of the world cup.
Mandela has been described as the architect of the 2010 World Cup by FIFA President Sepp Blatter, and the head of the football world governing body is correct because his efforts inspired the idea, and his continual hard work allowed for the bid to be well received by the international community.
Like they say, Africans celebrate everything - from a new life entering the world, to the ending of one and the joining of two souls in matrimony - it is all about celebrating. And South Africans didn't disappoint, we lived up to that. I guess you can say it's what makes South Africa a thrilling, exciting, vibrant and heavenly country that welcomes every one with open hearts and wide smiles.
On Friday, 11 June 2010, when the first FIFA World Cup to be hosted in Africa kicked off with a brilliant opening ceremony and what turned out to be a memorable 1-1 draw between host South Africa and Mexico, there was no such thing as strangers.
People hugged each other everywhere you looked, waving flags, with most unable to utter a word, but wearing jubilant smiles, and tears of joy gleaming in their eyes, sparkling like diamonds telling of sweet victory.
Fans of all shapes, hues and sizes draped the flag over their shoulders; some had headscarves, others donned oversized plastic glasses and bright earrings in the shape of Africa, with frizzy, colourful wigs, giving birth to a unique, galvanizing sense of unity that tore through a country.
Who would have guessed this was a country once hinged on a racial divide?
Sport's biggest showpiece, which took six years of planning and came to define the national agenda, shaping budget priorities, infrastructure development and daily conversations from townships to vineyards, was now a reality.
The month-long event put South Africa at the centre of the world. And boy, did we silence the critics with our smooth operations and vuvuzela-blowing. Foreign fans, some of whom came as skeptics, went home as converts.
As soon as the final whistle was blown - on July 11 - which marked Spain's victory - fireworks lit up the skies, vuvuzelas shrieked mercilessly, crowds danced and sang - and a palpable magic stretched out far beyond the horizon.
It was the biggest celebration in my living memory and I bet that goes for most of us, as this was the moment that helped challenge not only the way South Africa is perceived around the world, but Africa as a whole.
Exactly a year after the tournament, there are still many reminders of the World Cup.
In every city and neighborhood, one would find people sporting their bright yellow Bafana Bafana jerseys, and wearing them proudly.
At airports and street markets, one can still find the World Cup 2010 paraphernalia being sold.
The World Cup's theme songs, Waka Waka and Waving Flag, are still as popular as ever and can be heard in townships, where even pre-school children are still singing along, word for word.
But that is not all. Direct infrastructure developments such as new stadia, enhanced transport options and road upgrades around stadia, improvements at border posts and points of entry, upgraded telecommunications infrastructure and improved security systems all led to a better quality of life, and provide long term, valuable assets to communities.
The World Cup brought an entirely new definition to South African travel. The stadia, for instance, are an everlasting inspiration of spectacular architectural design and top the list of places to see for tourists.
Blatter gave South Africa "nine out of ten" for its performance, saying he would happily back any bid we made for any event in the future.
FIFA said the World Cup was a huge financial success for all parties concerned - South Africa, Africa, the world football body and its sponsors.
It also confirmed it made over U$3.5 billion (R24.15bn) from the tournament, a figure that flies in the face of previous concerns that the event would be a financial risk.
However, economists and critics have questioned if the South African government saw returns on its massive investments and whether the tournament did anything to ease unemployment or grow the economy.
Some had even predicted that some of the stadia are doomed to become "white elephants" in addition to the country's Big Five, due to their large operating costs and lack of events being held in them.
Yes, there are effects from the World Cup which haven't been as positive as others. Many businesses and municipalities had forecast too much of an economic impact, and some businesses are hurting after anticipating a huge rise in sales and profits, among others.
I'm also not in denial that not every South African shared in the World Cup's jovial spirit, and I admit that there are still many problems in this country that the World Cup did not solve.
Some missed the games because they had neither TVs nor electricity. People still died from Aids, or in poverty, or at the hands of criminals, far from the world's cameras and some informal traders were driven out of stadium exclusion zones.
Some people question why it took FIFA, an immovable deadline and a worldwide audience for us to come together as a nation and for things to be delivered on time.
The answer is not quite clear cut, but: the tournament left us with an infinite legacy. Nothing could have united us as the nation better than the world cup. Nothing. We were great hosts as individuals, as towns, cities, provinces and as a nation.
The enthusiasm we showed as a nation with our homemade costumes and signs has surely left a lasting impression on television screens worldwide.
The World Cup showed me that football and sport is general is ageless, it can make everyone from those in their 80s to teenagers behave the same way.
Mandela once said in 1996: "Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair."
And I couldn't agree with him more. In fact, everyone who experienced the World Cup would agree. It was the biggest celebration in my living memory and that of the country.
It was not just another ground-breaking moment in the soccer fraternity, but it was much more than that to us. It was evidence of how South Africa's new centre, comprised of people from all walks of life, all incomes and all races, not only share but practise the founding values of our society, which include nonracialism, fairness, equality of opportunity, justice and reconciliation.
Lessons were learnt, pride was shared, togetherness was held dear, and these might be dwindling, but still there were benefits from the World Cup.
South Africa does have challenges and hurdles to climb, some quite significant. Instead of moaning and looking at the negatives, why don't we look back at last year's event with eyes that recognise the achievements? After all, we won the hearts of the world, and we changed perceptions.
And it shouldn't stop there. What we need to ask ourselves as a nation: How do we keep winning?
I have never met him, but from all the stories I was told when I was growing up and read about Mandela it's what he would have wanted for this country- to unite and show the world that South Africa is a functioning and capable country.
