The South African team still surprised Mali in the first half and only didn't reach the break with an advantage because striker Percy Tau missed a penalty, shooting over the bar in the 19th minute.
In the second half, the Malian team 'pulled their weight' and ended up winning naturally, with two goals in the space of six minutes, in the 60th and 66th, by Hamari Traore, right-back of the Spanish side Real Sociedad, and by striker Lassine Sinayoko , who plays for French side Auxerre.
In the other game in group E, Namibia surprised Tunisia, who were favorites, by winning 1-0, with the only goal of the match coming towards the end, in the 88th minute, by striker Deon Hotto, who plays at Orlando, a team competing in the South African championship.
At the end of the first round, Mali leads the Group, with three points, the same as the Namibian team, while Tunisia and South Africa have yet to score.
The remaining game was also played to complete the first round of Group D, in Angola, which pitted the teams of Burkina Faso and Mauritania face to face, with the former experiencing more difficulties than would have been expected, with the goal of The triumph came just after 90+6 minutes, by striker Bertrand Traore, an English player from Aston Villa, from a penalty.
Mauritania is the next opponent of the Angolan team, which imposed a 1-1 draw on Algeria, two times CAN winners, in the first round, on Monday, and which will be in a privileged position to qualify for the next phase if beat this opponent.
Group D is led by Burkina Faso, with three points, followed by Algeria and Angola, both with one, and finally by Mauritania, which has yet to score any.
The African Cup of Nations has been played in Côte d'Ivoire since January 13th and will run until February 11th, the date of the final scheduled for the capital Abidjan.
