2010 World Cup Mascot Unveiled

Organisers said the character was 'born' on 16 June, 1994 - the year in which apartheid ended.

The date is celebrated as Youth Day to mark the 1976 Soweto uprising when young protesters struck a blow against white rule.

At the mascot's introduction at a state TV studio, a performer in a Zakumi costume kicked around a football with Mark Fish, who helped lead South Africa to the African Cup of Nations title in 1996.

The first two letters of Zakumi are the country's initials in Afrikaans - one of South Africa's 11 official languages.

'Kumi' means 10 - for the year of the tournament - in many African languages.