On June 22, 2009 I first commented on the dreadful Vuvuzela. Four days into the World Cup it is even more controversial than I’d expected it would be. So I decided to “re-publish” my original comments and hope SA football fans will come to realize NOT blowing the horn at non-Bafana Bafana games is a form of respect they simply HAVE to pay foreign fans.

[Read on]

During my visit to South Africa in December/January I was impressed by the progress made with preparations for the FIFA Football World Cup. Especially the stadium in Cape Town is very impressive. No doubt, the country will be ready on time. [Read on]

Some (like the German media) will have their eyes on crime in SA during the Confederation Cup. Others will have their eyes on the games. But, I will have my eyes on the stands. More specifically, on the crowds attending the games. As far as I’m concerned, the factor ticket sales for Confed Cup games is the vital early indicator of the success (or failure) of next year’s FIFA World Cup in South Africa.   [Read on]

The City of Durban paid R6.5 million (about €540,000) for a website with content management system (CMS), wrote ITWeb. In today’s “expensive” Germany, websites with price tags like that are few and far between.   [Read on]

Handelsblatt, a German business daily, reported yesterday about the “dramatically bad” ticket sales for the Confederation Cup. Apparently the SA government blamed the sponsors for not doing enough to promote the Confederation Cup and the World Cup to be staged in South Africa next year – and FIFA blamed the SA organisers.

In turn, the organisers blamed the local population for their disinterest in the events.

All in all, not a nice message to send around the world. 

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From today fans can apply for 2010 FIFA Football World Cup tickets in South Africa on the FIFA website. Read how to do it here.

Also today: The German business daily newspaper Handelsblatt reported European companies are not “storming the gates” to get tickets. In fact, the demand from Europe for so-called hospitality packages has been very low to date. [Read on]

I refer to the veld fires raging above Gordon’s Bay and at Cape Point, one of SA’s most visited tourist destinations. 

The last thing South Africa would want is for the world’s collective television lens to be directed to South Africa as a tourist destination in 2010 (about 18 months from now), and find nothing but burnt out fynbos and smouldering mountains.

If South Africa wants to present it’s best plume of feathers to the world, it must make a special effort from today (this summer season) to keep mountain fires in the Cape under control.

If fires start raging in the Cape mountains already in the first week of December, this does not bode well for the dry months of February and March next year. And fynbos destructed this summer, can’t recover by June 2010. 

Maybe the citizens should get involved with volunteer fire prevention teams. Or whatever.

But, this and next summer it can’t be “business as usual” for the Cape mountains.

First published on my old blog on 23/5/2008. 

Next to articles about foreign tourists cancelling trips to SA in the wake of the anti-refugee war, this article also appeared in the SA media in the past days… [Read on]