Dubbed 'One Man One Nation Celebration', it was staged to raise funds for the construction of the Nelson Mandela's Children's Hospital, the icon's most cherished dream.
Mandela unveiled the idea of building a 200-bed southern African paediatric hospital over a decade ago, but the project has been stalled by lack of funding.
But the plans recently gained momentum as the ailing icon lay in hospital battling a respiratory illness.
Today's event at the 90,000-seater Soccer City Stadium in Soweto was the highlight of several fund raising initiatives that have taken place since the beginning of the year.
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Malian super star Salif Keita was among the musicians billed to entertain the crowd after the games.
The day kicked off with the a throw back match of South African football legends against Italian old-timers.
The South Africa side featuring the likes of Lucas Radebe, who captained Leeds United, were edged 2-0 in an entertainment-filled display.
The game preceded a match between Burkina Faso's national squad the Stallions and Bafana Bafana. South Africa beat the west Africans 2-0.
"It's my first time here and I think I chose the right moment," said Ryan Smith, who came with his two sons.
"I came here to enjoy the rugby and have fun while supporting Mandela's dream. It's the least I can do to help realise his dream which will help improve the lives of the less fortunate," he said.
As a racially diverse country, rugby matches in South Africa often attract a predominantly white crowd, with football regarded as a mainly black sport.