By Barnaby Phillips BBC South Africa correspondent

As the Fifa decision on which country will host the 2010 World Cup draws near; South Africans are enduring a tense and traumatic time, as they are still haunted by its failure in the race for 2006.

Even Nelson Mandela has joined the fight for the 2010 World Cup

Last weekend I went to one of the world's great football matches, the Soweto Derby in Johannesburg; Kaizer Chiefs against Orlando Pirates.

There was 80,000 raucous and colourful supporters carrying flags, wearing elaborate hats, or in several cases, dressed up in full-length gorilla costumes.

The rivalry is bitter and intense, but there is none of the hatred that you will get in a similar contest in, say, London or Glasgow.

The crowd was excited and full of anticipation, perhaps this year more than most, as everyone here feels that South African football is on the verge of its greatest ever achievement; winning the right to host the 2010 World Cup.

The 24 men who will make the decision in Zurich are an obscure bunch of administrators

Mandla is a self-employed mechanic from Soweto and a keen Kaizer Chiefs fan. We got chatting in the queue outside the ground.

Often he earns as little as �150 a month. With this he looks after himself, his wife, and children. But at the mention of the World Cup, his eyes light up: "My only fear," he says, "is that I will not be able to afford any of the tickets. That would be awful; to have the Cup here and not be able to go."

So Mandla and a group of friends have already begun saving. Each month they pay in a small amount of money to a high interest account. "It is worth it," he said.

It did not seem to occur to Mandla that South Africa might not get the Cup; that rivals Morocco and Egypt have put in very good bids.

The 24 men who will make the decision in Zurich are an obscure bunch of administrators. I am quite a football fan, and I recognise only one of them as having been a famous player.

Six of them, to my reckoning, come from countries that have never even qualified for the World Cup.

National Unity

If Fifa chooses to run its business in this opaque way, I suppose the rest of us have just got to accept it. What worries me is that if South Africa fails to win, it will suffer something close to a collective nervous breakdown.

To know why it is so important we have to go back four years. That was when Fifa decided where the 2006 World Cup would be held.

In the race to host the 2006 Cup, South Africa lost out to Germany

South Africa was the big favourite, its government so confident that it erected giant screens in city squares, so that people could see the joyous announcement live, beamed over from Zurich.

But - horror of horrors - at the end of the voting, the name that came out of the envelope was Germany.

South Africans wept, and threw things at the giant screens. President Thabo Mbeki made a national address appealing for calm.

Fast forward four years and, once again South African cities are putting up those giant screens and thousands of people will gather to watch the announcement.

Ten years after the end of apartheid, South Africa is stable, but national unity is elusive

The newspapers are in no doubt how crucial the World Cup could be. "Money will flow in buckets," says the Johannesburg Sunday Times.

To be precise, according to the Sunday Independent, it would be a boost to the economy of �2.5 billion pounds.

Perhaps more importantly - in a country crippled by unemployment - it would create more than 100,000 jobs. But the potential benefits go even further, and cannot always be quantified.

Ten years after the end of apartheid South Africa is stable, but national unity is elusive.

Many South Africans believe that hosting a World Cup would bring black, white, Indian and coloured together, and boost the country's confidence, like nothing else.

Last-minute lobbying

Little wonder then, that South Africa has pulled out all the stops.

Nelson Mandela is getting on a bit these days, and by all accounts is trying to cut back on his schedule.

But last week he dutifully flew across the Atlantic to shake the hand of a football administrator from Trinidad and Tobago who just happens to be one of the 24 men who will vote in Zurich.

This is Africa's big chance, to show the world it is not a hopeless continent, a place of war and atrocities

Poor Mr Mandela had to cut short his trip when the tragic news reached him that his first wife, Evelyn, had died.

But I doubt there are many South Africans who think the journey was not worthwhile.

When the Fifa delegation arrived at President Mbeki's inauguration last month, South Africa's leading politicians got on their feet, cheered, and began chanting: "2010".

Danny Jordaan has been through this once before, and lost

And this week, Nelson Mandela, President Mbeki, former President FW de Klerk, even Archbishop Desmond Tutu, will fly off to Zurich for some desperate, last-minute lobbying.

Spare a thought then for Danny Jordaan.

A likeable man, he is the head of South Africa's World Cup bid. He was also in charge of the last bid and he is haunted by that failure.

For the past seven years, Mr Jordaan has hurtled round the world, arguing and pushing South Africa's case.

I was lucky to catch up with him the other day. He had flown in from the Caribbean the night before and the next day was off to Malaysia. He looked exhausted.

He told me this is Africa's big chance, to show the world it is not a hopeless continent, a place of war and atrocities:

"We have passion, but we are organised," said Mr Jordaan.

And what, I asked, if you fail again?

"Well, last time our hearts were broken," he replied, "this time..." His thoughts trailed off at the prospect.

There are, simply, no words for it.

From Our Own Correspondent was broadcast on Thursday, 13 May, 2004 at 1100 BST on BBC Radio 4. Please check the programme schedules for World Service transmission times.