South Africa's next president was in the middle of his speech when there was an audible rustling from the rear of the stadium. The flurry grew in intensity until the man at the microphone, the Deputy President, Mr Thabo Mbeki, could ignore it no longer.
Raising his fist in the air, he shouted to the delighted roar of the crowd, "Viva, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Viva!" as Ms Madikizela-Mandela, brilliantly garbed in a red-and-white dress and hat, walked on stage to join ANC officials.
There aren't many people who can steal the attention of 20,000 people from the future president, but Ms Madikizela-Mandela, President Nelson Mandela's former wife, is one of them. She became one of the ANC's most fiery orators during her husband's 27-year imprisonment, defying the restrictions of apartheid and earning the undying admiration of millions of blacks.
That's why, despite her criminal record, despite being thrown out of her Cabinet job, and despite allegations against her in a report outlining apartheid-era abuses, Ms Madikizela-Mandela (64) remains one of the government's star attractions. She is guaranteed a seat in the next parliament.