WORLD CUP DIARY D-2

This day shall be added to the list of special days that South Africans have experienced in the last eighteen years. The city centres hosting the various soccer matches were awash with colour, mostly gold and green, the official colours of Bafana Bafana, the soccer team of host nation South Africa. The team paraded through the streets of Sandton, the business hub of South Africa. People in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Pretoria and the other centres hosting world cup games took to the streets in a display of support for the national soccer team.

The sound of the vuvuzela drowned out any and all competing sounds. The vuvuzela is also described as a "horn", but resembles a pipe instrument.This secret weapon of the South African team has not only been adopted by the locals, but seems to be a prized possession of overseas tourists as well. I foresee it and the noise that it makes, as opposed to any soothing musical tone, becoming synonymous with the world cup in South Africa.

The effort invested in years of preparation is about to be realised. Tomorrow, d-day minus one sees South Africa host the pre-opening events. The highlight is the official musical event at Orlando Stadium in Soweto. International artists shall perform at this venue which is a stone's throw away from the original homes of Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, homes that they occupied in the days of apartheid.

Cape Town is hosting its own pre-opening party at the city's Grand Parade which has been converted to a fan fest park. The city shall switch on the themed lights in Adderley Street, the main street of Cape Town. The Cape minstrels, a Cape Town landmark are due to perform during these celebrations. The people of Cape Town and tourists visiting our shores can expect ecstatic local celebrations.

Walking in the streets of Cape Town today was something very special.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Cape Town Minstrel Carnival

Image
The Cape Town Minstrel Carnival is one of the many attractions that take place in Cape Town, South Africa during the summer holiday season. The Cape Minstrels have been performing on the streets of Cape Town for at least a century, the parade taking place on the 2nd January annually. The minstrel carnival has its origins in the period of slavery and was arranged as a celebratory party for the slaves on a day when they were given leave from their jobs. The colourful costumes adorned by the various troupes adds life to the streets of Cape Town. A crowd of approximately one hundred thousand people line the procession path of the troupes into town. The 2012 event was advertised to start at 10h00, but the main parade only got going at about 2pm. This is unacceptable and this aspect should be seriously addressed by the main players involved in arranging this event. It is apparent that major infrastructure has to be put in place for this event to proceed safely and successfully. The police
Read more

OPENING DAY WORLD CUP 2010

The great day has finally dawned. I awoke to a sunny wintry Cape Town day. My thoughts were focussed on what would occur later today. By this I mean whether the host country’s team Bafana Bafana would be able to conquer Mexico on the soccer playing fields of Soccer City later today. But more of what transpired in that match later. Scenes of an incompletely full Soccer City stadium were of concern. It later transpired that the traffic grid locks besieging Johannesburg car drivers had delayed the arrival of many of the spectators for the opening match. The area around Soccer City looked rather arid. An attempt should have been made to develop the bare sand filled areas with some green gardens. There are no complaints of the stadium however. Soccer City looked imposing. The atmosphere as the stadium filled shall leave an indelible mark on my memory. The opening ceremony commenced at exactly 2pm with the acrobatic display of some fighter planes. Their
Read more

The Green Point Urban Park, Cape Town, South Africa

Image
FIFA, the controlling body of international soccer insisted that a new stadium be built at Green Point for the 2010 soccer world cup. The stadium was duly built. The staging of the tournament was regarded as a resounding success more so as this was the first time that the soccer showpiece was staged in Africa. The Cape Town Stadium received very favourable praise. Then everything was over and the new stadium began collecting dust, literally. There was just one little aspect that remained outstanding. During the construction phase, reference was made to the development of an urban park in the stadium precinct. The impression created was that this park would be completed at or before the commencement of the 2010 soccer world cup. Now there was some development and landscaping around the stadium at the time of the world cup. I for one thought that this was the sum total of the urban park that was envisaged for this area. Well, I was wrong. The development of the urban park was kept unde
Read more