Obama dazzles the Arch

Dreams came true for dozens of Cape Town children living in shelters and children's homes - they had a chance to show off their soccer skills to US first lady Michelle Obama.

Yesterday, Obama's Cape Town leg of her South African visit was off to a disappointing start when her visit to Robben Island was cancelled. But she visited the historic District Six Museum and was moved by the horrendous stories of forced removals of residents to the Cape Flats.

Obama then addressed scores of school children at the University of Cape Town, in an informal session that ended with her spontaneously hugging every one of the pupils there.

Obama was introduced by vice-chancellor Dr Max Price, who spoke of the university's "stars", including its five Nobel laureates; its "astronaut" alumnus, Mark Shuttleworth, and a number of black students who had risen from poor backgrounds to world-class achievements.

Describing the university as "the most beautiful campus" and asking "who wouldn't want to spend a few years here?", Obama challenged the children to believe they belonged on campus, and to work hard to be accepted for degree courses.

Exclaiming "she is fabulous!", Obama was visibly impressed by the event's moderator - former vice-chancellor Mamphela Ramphele - and encouraged the pupils to follow Ramphele's example in breaking barriers and "making history".

At the end of the event, she changed the programme by asking all the students to stand up and mingle, and one 16-year-old student, Michael Hendricks, seized the chance to give the towering, 1.78m tall first lady a hug.

At the Cape Town stadium, Obama met children who have been taken under the wing of the Amandla EduFootball NGO.

Obama gave hope to one very hard-working woman - Lucinda Evans. She runs an NGO focusing on domestic violence, child abuse and HIV-positive children in Lavender Hill on the Cape Flats.

For months she has fought for funding from local government and applied to register a safe house.

Obama has promised her that she would "look into" their plight.

When Obama left the building, a star-struck Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu addressed the media. "I think everybody will say she is just amazing. She dazzles people - she is so warm hearted ... I think she is inspired very many. Gosh it was a great thrill for an old man. Whaaaaaaa!" he screamed. - Additional reporting by Philani Nombembe