And the winner is ...... South Africa !!

I cannot help feeling like a small child right now after Christmas has come and gone. There is always such a big build up and a point where you even start to wonder if it will ever arrive at all.... and then before you know, it is gone in a flash!
I am of course referring to the World cup and that even though the final curtain has not yet come down,when I drove through Cape Town yesterday, I could not help feeling a twinge of sadness .... similar to when the festive decorations come down in the new year. Although part of you is happy to get back to 'normal' ...there is also a huge part of you that wished you could have carried on forever. In this case though, I do not mean the football so much, but rather the 'Ubuntu' that embraced the whole of South Africa and inevitably, the world. I have been very vocal in my past blogs about my dreams and aspirations for this world cup and the legacy that it would hopefully leave the country, but even I did not expect to be as blown away as I have been, at not just how the whole country came to the party .. (literally!!) to make it the success it was, but also as to how we were received by the visitors. Once again, my thoughts on the overseas media have been made very clear in the past. Whilst I knew that they would enjoy it as much as anyone, I still expected them to go digging up negative stories, but even the Journalists it seems got sucked in ... infectious is really the best word I can find to explain the incredible feeling that was swept over everyone like a huge big mexican wave!

Like many Capetonians last week ,having heard on the radio almost daily about the 'great vibe' that existed on the fan walk that goes 2.4 Km from Cape Town Station to the stadium, it suddenly struck me, that unless I wanted to bunk work on Tuesday for the final Cape Town Match, Netherlands V Uruguay, Saturday was going to be my last chance to enjoy this unique experience. So myself and a couple of friends, decided go the whole hog and take the public transport and all! It sounds dramtic when I say I will remember that day for the rest of my life ... but it really is true. Every race, colour, religion and culture was amongst the tsunami like crowd that ebbed its way through the city... and as crazy as it sounds, for just a few moments that afternoon, it felt like all the problems in the world had disappeared! Some how though, I do not think Maradona would agree with me! :O)

Before I sign off, I wanted to share with you just two of the many heart warming articles that have been written following visits to The World cup . They tell the story much better than I ever could ... Enjoy!
Shari Cohen - Huffington Post

Boris Johnson - Daily Telegraph

Who does he think he is?

The fact that some careers or jobs pay obscene amounts more than others is something that I have sometimes had great difficulty accepting. I mean how do you justify paying a heart surgeon, a person that saves lives every day, half the amount of a TV Newsreader for example? But guess that is just one of those perverted facts about life, you can do nothing about. However, one issue that I do take serious question with is that whether you earn R1000 a week as a waiter or R100,000 a week as a Politician.... One needs to show a passion for what one is paid to do at all times and offer one's clients or cutomers the best value they can, for the hard earned money they pay for services rendered. If they do not do this, regardless of whether they are a waiter, Politician, top banker, Oil Company CEO or Premier league Football player - they should then be held responsible for their actions.

Having my own business now, I can use myself as a perfect example ... If I suddenly decided to stay in bed until lunchtime every day, not respond to emails and just generally not give a damn about my clients needs - could I honestly expect to remain in business? Would it be right for me to then get irritated, if my clients showed their displeasure at my performance? Of course not, but why then, does this not apply to the elitest group of people I mentioned earlier ? We could be here all day and discuss those responsible for last years bank collapses, or how Tony Hayward CEO of BP should have already resigned in my mind, following the recent Oil spill, but instead he is out sailing with his buddies. Having personally witnessed the now notorius England V Algeria Match though - the person's whos head I REALLY want to get into,is that of Mr Rooney!

Who does this arrogant 24 year old prima donna really think he is? He gets paid around R1 Million a week, lives the luxury lifestyle of a king, and all for kicking a ball around on a field and hopefully scoring a few goals. Once again, I could really get wound up about this fact on it's own and say that even if he scored 10 goals each match - could it still really justify such a ridiculous pay packet? Digressing for a moment, to put things in perspective - I heard a snippet on the news the other day about how many British Soldiers are now moving to Australia to serve in their military as there they get paid the equivalient of 26,000 GBP a year. Although they did not say how much the UK paid their soldiers,one can assume it is a lot less than that if people are prepared to uproot their lives for this salary. You do not even have to get the calculator out to work out that a weekly wage for any soldier who risk their lives for their country is less than a pittance compared to that of his royal highness Wayne Rooney. However, believe it or not ... I do not actually even blame him for this. There is not a 24 year old in the world that would turn down a chance to have his lifestyle.

What has truly got me on my soap box this morning though, is his offensive attitude. That is something he DOES have full control over. On the field on Friday evening it was obvious to everyone that he and all his team mates to be fair were not at all passionate about their task at hand ..... and therefore they did not deliver as expected, despite many many loyal fans paying huge amounts of money to follow their national football team to the other side of the world! As if this was not bad enough - He then throws a temper tantrum when those very fans dare to show their displeasure! Sure, an apology has been issued, but with zero sincerity and more than likely a direct order from the England Team's PR Manager. Part of me almost feels sorry for him, he has been given too much too soon and now seems to have lost a complete grip on reality and what is expected of someone in their job. Perhaps if like the Algerian team, Rooney and his colleagues had taken the time to come and say hello to the fans from the pitch just before the match ... or perhaps at the end even, when again the Algerian team thanked their fans for their support, there would not be so much bitterness amongst the supporters? One thing is for sure - win or lose next Wednesday, he has been fired in my book for good!

Hands off our Vuvuzelas !!

Perhaps it is purely coincidental that this morning I listened with interest to Eamonn Holmes on Sky News Sunrise discussing with various people as to whether Britain has perhaps taken the health and Safety thing a step too far and then this evening when sitting down for my evening dose of media intelligence, I happened to interupt a debate that was on a par with those seen during the general election, on whether the African Vuvuzela should be banned during the world cup? Have people really got nothing better to talk about? They had even gone as far to invite a hearing specialist on to the show, who seemed to speak with such authority that there would categorically be many deaf english fans returning from South Africa in a couple of weeks time. The fact that she has probably never set foot in the country, nor been to an African football match or probably even held a vuvuzela is in my mind, what puts her and many other people in the same category as the idiots that banned conkers and who insisted kids wear goggles when using blutac (that's Prestick to South Africans!). They make these rules ... or suggestions as in this case based purely on worse case scenarios. Sure, if every person in a stadium blew their vuvuzela at the same time and into each others ears, we (or should I say they) would have a problem ... But this expert along with many others, seem to forget there is a common sense factor too. To her and everyone else that has apparently joined the 100,000 strong facebook group to ban the instrument, incase you did not realise by now - South Africans love Soccer almost as much at the Brits! More to the point, they have been blowing their vuvuzelas for years and to my knowledge, whilst the country still has it's fair share of challenges, an over population of deaf people is not one of them.

So, please - keep your health and safetly rules to yourself for a change and respect something that is literally part of a culture. Africa has waited a long time for this world cup, let them have their moment - Vuvuzelas and all!!

Media take note !!

The following open letter to foreign Journalists written by SA Journalist Peter Davies was like music to my ears .... It put all of my sometimes clumsily put thoughts into the right context ... I just really hope the right people read it !



Dear World Cup visitors,

Now that you are safely in our country you are no doubt happily realising you are not in a war zone. This may be in stark contrast to what you have been bracing yourself for should you have listened to Uli Hoeness or are an avid reader of English tabloids, which as we all know are only good for wrapping fish ‘n chips and advancing the careers of large-chested teens on page three.
As you emerge blinking from your luxury hotel room into our big blue winter skies, you will surely realise you are far more likely to be killed by kindness than by a stray bullet. Remember that most of the media reports you have read, which have informed your views on South Africa, will have been penned by your colleagues. And you know what journos are like, what with their earnest two thousand word opuses on the op-ed pages designed to fix this country’s ills in a heartbeat. Based on exhaustive research over a three-day visit.
Funnily enough, we are well aware of the challenges we face as a nation and you will find that 95% of the population is singing from the same song-sheet in order to ensure we can live up to our own exacting expectations.
We are also here to look after you and show you a good time. Prepare to have your preconceived notions well and truly shattered.
For instance, you will find precious few rhinos loitering on street corners, we don’t know a guy in Cairo named Dave just because we live in Johannesburg, and our stadiums are magnificent, world-class works of art.
Which is obviously news to the Sky TV sports anchor who this week remarked that Soccer City looked ‘ a bit of a mess’. She didn’t realize the gaps in the calabash exterior are to allow in natural light and for illumination at night, and not the result of vandalism or negligence.
The fact that England, the nation which safely delivered Wembley Stadium two years past its due date, is prepared to offer us South Africans advice on stadium-readiness should not be surprising. The steadiest stream of World Cup misinformation has emanated from our mates the Brits over the past couple of years.
If it’s not man-eating snakes lurking in Rooney’s closet at the team’s (allegedly half-built) Royal Bafokeng training base, then it’s machete-wielding gangs roaming the suburbs in search of tattooed, overweight Dagenham dole-queuers to ransack and leave gurgling on the pavement.
In fact what you are entering is the world’s most fascinating country, in my opinion. I’m pretty sure you will find that it functions far more smoothly, is heaps more friendly and offers plenty more diversions than you could possibly have imagined.
In addition to which, the population actually acts like human beings, and not like they are being controlled by sinister forces from above which turns them into bureaucratically-manipulated robots.
Plus we have world’s most beautiful women. The best weather. Eight channels of SuperSport. Food and wine from the gods themselves. Wildlife galore. (Love the Dutch team’s bus slogan: “Don’t fear the Big 5; fear the Orange 11”).
Having said all that, Jo’burg is undoubtedly one of the world’s most dangerous cities. Just ask those Taiwanese tourists who got out of their hire car to take close-up snaps of tawny beasts at the Lion Park a few years back. Actually, ask what’s left of them. And did you know the chances of being felled by cardiac arrest from devouring a mountain of meat at one of our world class restaurants has been statistically proven to be 33.3% higher in Jozi than in any other major urban centre not built upon a significant waterway? It’s true. I swear. I read it in a British tabloid.
Having recently spent two years comfortably cocooned in small town America, I’m only too aware of how little much of the outside world knows about this country. The American channel I used to work for has a massive battalion of employees descending on World Cup country. It has also apparently issued a recommendation to its staff to stay in their hotels when not working.
Given that said corporation is headquartered in a small town which many say is “best viewed through the rear-view mirror”, I find the recommendation, if it’s true, to be utterly astounding. In fact I don’t believe it is true. Contrary to the global stereotype, the best Americans are some of the sharpest people in the world. The fact they have bought most tickets in this World Cup proves the point.
Of course I have only lived in Johannesburg, city of terror and dread, virtually all my life, so don’t have the in-depth knowledge of say, an English broadsheet journalist who has been in the country for the weekend, but nevertheless I will share some of my observations gleaned over the years.
Any foreign tourist or media representative who is worried about his safety in South Africa should have a word with the Lions rugby fans from last year, or the Barmy Army cricket supporters (lilywhite hecklers by day, slurring, lager-fuelled lobsters by night). They managed just fine, just like the hundreds of thousands of fans who have streamed into the country over the past fifteen years for various World Cups, Super 14 matches, TriNations tests and other international events. Negligible crime incidents involving said fans over said period of time.
Trivia question: which country has hosted the most global sporting events over the past decade and a half? You don’t need me to answer that, do you?
In addition. Don’t fret when you see a gaggle of freelance salesmen converge on your car at the traffic lights (or robots as we like to call them) festooned with products. You are not about to be hijacked. Here in Mzansi (nickname for SA) we do a lot of our purchasing at robots. Here you can stock up on flags, coat hangers, batteries, roses for the wife you forgot to kiss goodbye this morning and a whole host of useful merchandise.
Similarly, that guy who runs up as you park the rental car outside the pub intends no malice. He’s your car guard. Give him a buck or two and your vehicle will be safe while you refuel for hours on our cheap, splendid beer. Unless someone breaks into it, of course.
We drive on the left in this country. Exercise caution when crossing the road at a jog-trot with 15 kilograms of camera gear on your back. Exercise common sense full stop. Nothing more. Nothing less. If you want to leave wads of cash in your hotel room like our Colombian friends, don’t be surprised if it grows wings.
Bottomline. Get out there and breathe in great lusty lungfuls of this amazing nation. Tuck into our world-class food and wines. Disprove the adage that white men can’t dance at our throbbing, vibrant night-clubs. Learn to say hello in all eleven official languages. Watch at least one game in a township. You will not be robbed and shot. You will be welcomed like a lost family member and looked after as if you are royalty. Ask those Bulls rugby fans who journeyed to Soweto recently.
With a dollop of the right attitude, this country will change your life.
It’s Africa’s time. Vacate your hotel room. Join the party.
Waka waka eh eh.

Jo'burg Goes Bananas For Bafana Bafana - Video

Jo'burg Goes Bananas For Bafana Bafana
00:03:00

Its not about the football .....

'They' say that good things come to those who wait ... and never was there a more true saying this week in South Africa! I am not talking about my long awaited blog post by the way.... but am of course referring to the Fifa World cup. It seems like just a couple of months ago that Sepp Blatter opened his envelope revealing that South Africa was to be the host city for the biggest show on earth in 2010 , which back then was to be in just over 6 years time. It seemed like a life time away and yet here it is -within touching distance!

I remember at the time in 2004 feeling extremely excited and have referred back several times since to my hopes that it would be a replica of 1995 in terms of reconciliation value, but have to admit though, that the last 6 years have been a long journey and I would be lying if I said I have not had my doubts occasionally that this day would ever arrive !

Whilst most of the country appeared to be celebrating from the off set - there were many that refused to see the benefits of hosting such a prestigious event. Every question and obstacle one can imagine was raised .... from under budgeting and stadium location protests, you name it, it happened ! It did not help of course, that we also had a change of President along the way, a man with a fair few question marks of his own! There was also the Zimbabwe situation, which although officially nothing to do with South Africa, as it's immediate neighbour, in the eyes of the rest of the world, we will always be tarred with the same brush. Then came those rumours .... "Australia is on stand by" as South Africa will not be ready in time. Although Sepp Blatter denied it, the news cut like a knife. Perhaps it is Psychological ... but I am sure this was the turning point. Almost over night, the stadiums began to appear and people seemed to have a new energy about them, despite the overseas media being more negative than ever. Then again Mr Malema had now entered the game and apart from telling BBC journalists to get lost, he was not exactly making himself many friends in SA either. Then just when we thought we had faced it all ....Eugene Terreblanche was murdered in his sleep, which with the help of the media once again - helped scare off many people that were still on the fence about whether to come. Meanwhile , back at the ranch, many guest house and hotel owners that were hoping to score over the world cup had been heavily let down by MATCH the body appointed by FIFA to coordinate all accommodation bookings. Not only have they not recived the world cup bookings they had hoped, due to the rolls of red tape, but many people who would perhaps have normally visited South Africa at other times during the year have crossed the destination off their calendar completely this year - just subconsciously believing it is not the right time to be there. They were not the only ones to lose out ... the many street vendors that were hoping to sell Football shirts etc were told that only FIFA branded shirts were allowed. So guess you could say there are always going to be winners and losers in everything in life, except that I still believe there WILL be many many more winners and that many people I speak to still seem to be missing the point completely. As Lance Armstrong once said "its not about the bike" .... and once again in this case, it is not about the football ... or the 6 weeks during whether we have more or less tourists here than we thought we would. The POINT is this. It is the single biggest opportunity South Africa will ever have to show the world what they are truly about as a country, as people and as a united nation - PR does not get better than this!! If I had received one rand for every time I have had to listen to or read a negative story on Sky news about SA, I would be very rich by now, with my main frustration being that they never report the 'other side of the coin' . Well now it is their chance and I am pleased to say that I can already see the tide turning and how the reporters are being enchanted and humbled by the people they meet and the scenes of the same reconcilliation as 1995. I guess in a way, they have done us a favour, as most of the fans visiting SA at the moment have arrived here expecting anything from "Blood baths" to "Worldcup Violence" and god knows what else, so anything less than that ... and they are very happy! Once again though - the POINT is that they will go back home and tell all of their friends about the fantastic time they had in SA ensuring that the world cup leaves a lasting legacy afterall.

If only we could bottle it ....

On Saturday I had the pleasure of visiting the Riebeck Kasteel Olive festival ... which that in itself is quite amazing, considering I cannot stand the things! But knowing South Africa as I surely do by now, I knew there would be plenty of other things on the menu and that I certainly would not go hungry or thirsty for that matter! Whilst , as expected I was not disappointed in this department, I was however pleasantly surprised by another ....

Often referred to as 'The valley of a thousand paintings' Riebeck Kasteel, an almost storybook style town, is one of the oldest in South Africa. Definitely one of the best kept secrets of the Western Cape, there a population of around just 2700 and is located 75km from Cape Town. Having visited this stunningly beautiful, but rather sleepy little place before, I knew not to expect a repeat of the previous weekend's Franschhoek Cheese Festival that welcomes over 10,000 visitors a day. However, I had not taken into account the eclectic mix of people that call Riebeck Kasteel their home, and that subsequently resulted in a 'vibe' and 'community feeling' second to none. There are the European ex pats, who have come to retire in this tiny piece of paradise ... then there are the Gauteng rat race escapees, every kind of craftsman you can imagine, including artists and writers in abundance, Wine and Olive farmers and of course their workers ... the true locals who were born and bred here. Everybody regardless of age, colour, nationality or breeding came together to put on a show to be proud of ..... there was a tractor and trailer running a 'park and ride' system .... children running barefoot all over the place, the village square was pumping to the sound of two local bands, the restaurants spilled out onto the pavements, oh yes , did I not mention that the weather was a warm 29 degrees!

As I caught a ride on the tractor back to our car and enjoyed the somewhat ariel view of the village festivities..... I found myself wishing for the impossible. If only all of our visitors to South Africa, during the world cup or otherwise could be fortunate enough to experience just five minutes of the incredible atmosphere that I had been able to witness that day .... what a difference it would make to the world perception of SA.