S Africa whips up WC frenzy
Thursday, 10 June 2010
JOHANNESBURG, June 9 (AFP): South Africa whipped itself into a World Cup frenzy Wednesday as the national side paraded through Johannesburg and holders Italy flew in to defend their crown, two days before the kick-off.
Tens of thousands lined the streets of the Sandton business district to hail Bafana Bafana (the Boys), draping themselves in flags and honking ear-splitting vuvuzela trumpets as the team waved at them from an open-top bus.
There were similar scenes throughout Johannesburg, as office workers left their buildings and lined the streets to blow vuvuzelas and wave South African flags, as passing cars tooted their horns.
Some wore clown wigs in national colours, and others had makarapas -- hard hats carved and painted into the shape of footballers and flags.
Schoolchildren were dismissed at midday for a special month-long World Cup holiday, bringing many youngsters onto the sidewalk with their parents for the festivities.
The noise from the plastic vuvuzela horns, set to become one of the main talking points of the tournament, drowned out all conversation -- including attempts by television journalists to deliver two-way reports to their studio.
Thousands also poured into the streets of Cape Town to answer a call on the radio to blow their vuvuzelas at lunchtime.
"It was a national call to have a vuvuzela moment," said Zanele Ntuli among the crowds outside parliament.
"Never in my life did I think this would come to Africa, let alone South Africa."
The sense of anticipation has been heightened by an unexpected upturn in the form of Bafana Bafana, who go into Friday's opening match against Mexico on the back of a 12-match unbeaten run.
South Africans were ecstatic 14 years ago after the team won the African Nations Cup on home soil but the national football association said Wednesday's turn-out beat all records.
"This is the biggest show of public support for our team in the history of the professional game," said chief executive Leslie Sedibe.
As the government urged fans to be on their best behaviour for the hundreds of thousands of foreign visitors, South Africans also delighted in the prospect that their icon, Nelson Mandela, would be among the crowds at Friday's opener.
The front-page of The Sowetan proclaimed the event would now be the "Mandela Show" while a headline in The Star read "Deafening Noise Can't Curb Kick-off Fever", as it described final rehearsals for a World Cup concert on Thursday.
Ever since it became the first African nation to win the right to stage the tournament six years ago, South Africa has had to fend off claims that its high crime rate, lack of infrastructure and rudimentary public transport system rendered it an unsuitable choice.
Fears over crime were highlighted when armed robbers broke into a rural lodge where reporters covering Portugal are staying, holding one journalist at gunpoint before making off with cash, camera equipment and passports.
A spokesman for the local organising committee said everything was in place but added that opening-day traffic jams remain a concern.s
Tens of thousands lined the streets of the Sandton business district to hail Bafana Bafana (the Boys), draping themselves in flags and honking ear-splitting vuvuzela trumpets as the team waved at them from an open-top bus.
There were similar scenes throughout Johannesburg, as office workers left their buildings and lined the streets to blow vuvuzelas and wave South African flags, as passing cars tooted their horns.
Some wore clown wigs in national colours, and others had makarapas -- hard hats carved and painted into the shape of footballers and flags.
Schoolchildren were dismissed at midday for a special month-long World Cup holiday, bringing many youngsters onto the sidewalk with their parents for the festivities.
The noise from the plastic vuvuzela horns, set to become one of the main talking points of the tournament, drowned out all conversation -- including attempts by television journalists to deliver two-way reports to their studio.
Thousands also poured into the streets of Cape Town to answer a call on the radio to blow their vuvuzelas at lunchtime.
"It was a national call to have a vuvuzela moment," said Zanele Ntuli among the crowds outside parliament.
"Never in my life did I think this would come to Africa, let alone South Africa."
The sense of anticipation has been heightened by an unexpected upturn in the form of Bafana Bafana, who go into Friday's opening match against Mexico on the back of a 12-match unbeaten run.
South Africans were ecstatic 14 years ago after the team won the African Nations Cup on home soil but the national football association said Wednesday's turn-out beat all records.
"This is the biggest show of public support for our team in the history of the professional game," said chief executive Leslie Sedibe.
As the government urged fans to be on their best behaviour for the hundreds of thousands of foreign visitors, South Africans also delighted in the prospect that their icon, Nelson Mandela, would be among the crowds at Friday's opener.
The front-page of The Sowetan proclaimed the event would now be the "Mandela Show" while a headline in The Star read "Deafening Noise Can't Curb Kick-off Fever", as it described final rehearsals for a World Cup concert on Thursday.
Ever since it became the first African nation to win the right to stage the tournament six years ago, South Africa has had to fend off claims that its high crime rate, lack of infrastructure and rudimentary public transport system rendered it an unsuitable choice.
Fears over crime were highlighted when armed robbers broke into a rural lodge where reporters covering Portugal are staying, holding one journalist at gunpoint before making off with cash, camera equipment and passports.
A spokesman for the local organising committee said everything was in place but added that opening-day traffic jams remain a concern.s