Blogs

Post World Cup depression? ‘Keep Flying’ and fight it off

Shine2010 — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:29:00 GMT

Today marks the very last blog post for the Shine 2010 project. As I write this, I think back on the awesome, diverse, enthusiastic, dedicated and positive South Africans who we have had the privilege of meeting through the FIFA 2010 World Cup.

Our last meeting was with John Dixon, CEO of draftFCB, a big Joburg HQ'd ad agency. The agency has come up with what we believe is a great idea - its 'Keep Flying' campaign, in terms of which it is seeking to extend the positive sentiment of the World Cup and avoid what some believe is an inevitable hangover and depression.

Well, while we're a little blue with the end of the football and the end, essentially, of Shine 2010, we aren't feeling at all depressed. South Africa put on probably the best ever World Cup. Security, safety, transport (apart from one glitch, at King Shaka), information and communication and broadcast technology, stadiums, crowd control, awesome football - it was all there and it all went off beautifully.

We're still feeling the love. We're still seeing the flags flying, on cars, in offices and in private homes. The wave of positivity which has swept through our country is far from gone.

Even as draftFCB's campaign is picked up by South Africa's big companies, we think it is the duty of all of us, as patriotic citizens, to do our little bit to keep the flag flying. We've just celebrated Nelson Mandela's birthday, where we were all encouraged to spend 67 minutes in making the world a better place. We can do that every day, without even consciously spending that time. To reiterate a previous blog post, we should all try to be the change we see in the world (thanks Mahatma Gandhi). That means the little things, anything from obeying the traffic laws and bylaws to being good to one another. Try, for example, greeting the person who serves you at a tollbooth with a smile and a friendly word: you will be amazed at the difference it makes.

The World Cup has come and gone, but the real effect really should just be starting. We still face enormous problems as a country and a nation. But we have shown the world, and perhaps more importantly, we have shown ourselves what we are capable of. We did it by pulling together as a nation, not by bickering and tugging in every direction but that which matters.

Our World Cup should create a legacy. The responsibility for that legacy is not that of draftFCB, the big companies, FIFA, government - it is the responsibility of each and every one of us who can stand up and say with pride:

I am a South African.

...And it’s all over....or is it?

Shine2010 — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 13:12:00 GMT

It seems like a million years ago even though kickoff was just four weeks back. The FIFA World Cup 2010 circus has rolled into and out of town and South Africa has shown, again, that we are capable of delivering even the biggest of spectaculars. The naysayers, the doom-mongers, the predictors of violence and anarchy, the weathermen who predicted seismic carnage...sorry chaps. All wrong.

In a meeting with the CEO of one of the country's top ICT companies just after the World Cup, the gentleman in question - who does a good bit of business with government - pointed out that perhaps above all, this World Cup has shown what government can do. He noted that given the right sort of inducement, there is no reason why we should have the rampant crime problem. He observed that the massive problems we face in education, in healthcare, can surely be solved more effectively when political nonsense is dropped in favour of a definite goal. There is a pun in that.

And I think he is right. Government, it seems, spends far too much time kicking political footballs around rather than focusing on service delivery. The resulting paralysis means nothing gets done and also that everything has to get to a state of collapse before meaningful interventions take place.

But when there are definite deadlines and when the reputation of the country depends upon it, the politicos have shown that they can do it. They can even do it well, which is unfortunately more than we have come to expect from them in almost every other respect.

As citizens, we now know what our leaders are capable of. We have to keep them sharp; in South Africa, paying your taxes is not enough to achieve that. We have to spend time in Community Policing meetings, we have to agitate by reading newspapers and online websites, we have to participate perhaps more than in any other country, in the day to day administration of our country. We have to get involved and stay involved.

So that our country can be as successful as the World Cup was.

FIFA World Cup 2010 South Africa approaches stunning finale

Shine2010 — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 07:32:00 GMT

All bets are off! The predictions were very strongly for Brazil in the final, but 2010 has served up a feast of remarkably unpredictable football with no shortage of drama.

With any luck, among the top takeouts from this edition of the world's greatest sporting spectacle should be:

1. Soccer is wonderfully unpredictable. Probably because it is that hard to kick a ball into the back of the net.

2. It really is time to introduce goal line technology. It's there. Humans are notoriously prone to error. Worse than that, we've seen that sometimes those errors are deliberate; let's reduce the chances, just because we can.

3. Octopi called Paul are adept at predicting the outcomes of German football matches.

4. The Lord works in mysterious ways.

5. Most best: South Africa is up to successfully hosting any sporting event. Yes, people, this is the real deal, a sports event on the most massive scale. Glitches? Sure. But just look at how they've been handled.

That brings us to the next order of business. With the first semifinal due to take place tomorrow between Spain and Germany (and notwithstanding Paul's predictions for the outcome) we are on the inevitable slope to the tournament's magnificent conclusion. There is talk of post-football blues and a country that will slide into depression, but that seems unlikely. We like to believe there will be post-partum satisfaction at a job well done, national pride and the unity which we last saw back in 1995 when the Springboks lofted the Webb Ellis trophy.

More than that, we'd like to see the calls for the 2020 Olympics intensifying. After all, we can do it alright.

The Black Stars do it for Africa!

Shine2010 — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 10:30:00 GMT

Wow! Africa's first World Cup has certainly been an exciting one. Although the average goals per game is a less-than-spectacular 2.26, the shocks that have come thick and fast have more than made up for this.

Witnessing seventh ranked France and World Champions Italy both crashing out at the group stage was quite something. Seeing Portugal put seven past a hapless North Korean team was just incredible. And of course watching Bafana Bafana bravely attempt the impossible in their glorious victory over the 1998 champions was heart stopping.

Sadly, of course, Africa's teams have not fared well in the continent's World Cup. That freak Portugal result all but put paid to the Ivory Coast's hopes, while Cameroon and Nigeria simply failed to fire. It was always going to be a big ask for Algeria to get out of a group that had the highly ranked teams of the US and England in it, while Uruguay's 3-0 win over South Africa also left us with too big a mountain to climb.

Fortunately, the mighty Black Stars of Ghana have become only the third African nation to reach the quarterfinals of the world's biggest football tournament. Their brave extra time win over a committed US side has left all of Africa with a team to cheer for. More importantly, with a decent but unspectacular Uruguay side as their next opponents, Africa may never have a better chance of advancing to the semi-finals.

It is perhaps appropriate that Ghana will carry Africa's hopes for making history. The country already went into the record books 53 years ago, when it became the first African nation south of the Sahara to break free from colonial rule. Of course, it may be a big ask, considering the team is without its one genuine superstar, Chelsea's Michael Essien.

Essien was ruled out of the tournament by a knee injury. The same thing happened to his Chelsea teammate Michael Ballack (why is it players named Michael who have consistently been injured?) However, these injuries seem to have been a blessing in disguise. Both Ghana and Germany have found a new lease of life without their supposed key players.

The youthful Black Stars have played with freedom and verve. So too have the Germans - a side that is usually associated with the terms 'workmanlike', 'solid' and 'efficient'. The manner in which a very young German team disposed of England's hopes suggests that they are a side with the ability to score from all over the park. They may well be one of the finalists.

Ghana, of course, lost 1-0 to Germany in the group stages. So perhaps it is time to wish for a modicum of revenge. Here's hoping that youth takes the day and that the mighty Black Stars are able to fly the flag for Africa all the way to a final showdown with Germany.

That would certainly be a match to capture the hearts and minds of everyone with even a hint of African blood!

Go Bafana Go!

Shine2010 — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 11:53:00 GMT

After a stunning performance in which our lads held the Mexicans to a 1-all draw, our team took a bit of a tumble to a class Uruguayan side...now, with the French team in a shambles but the completely unrealistic demand of 5 goals to stay in for the second round, it is a do-or-die situation for the host team. All we can say at Shine 2010 is....GO BAFANA! We are all right behind you, hoping for Madiba magic, Rainbow-Nation-age, Shine-niness, football World Cup Greatness!

The naysayers must be feeling a bit awkward right now, what with a smooth and so far, very incident-free World Cup going down a treat with South Africa and the world. Murder and mayhem it is not, that's for sure - even the special courts set up to deal with the likely incidences of drunken debauchery and silliness that often accompanies it are sitting rather idle, having prosecuted only 28 cases so far. And the average global soccer fan is not the randy, beer-fuelled monster we'd been led to believe he was. Nope, the poor ladies of the night haven't quite hooked (sorry) the bonanza they were expecting.

One thing, though, is for sure. This year's tournament is turning up a feast of entertainment and upsets. The stars of England seem a bit dim, the French side up against we go today seems more unionized than COSATU, the Brazilian fireworks right now appear to be limited to a strong of damp squibs. Portugal has lit up the field at least, while the usual surprise package from Down Under has come from a bit further East than usual. That's right, the enormously politically-incorrectly named All Whites from New Zealand put the boot into the mighty fizzle, Azzuri, even though that ultimately turned out to be a draw.

On the field and off, it's soccer season, and its delivering up a feast of top class entertainment. One last time and all together now: GO BAFANA GO!

There goes the productivity…

Shine2010 — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 08:43:00 GMT

OK so hands up, who's been working hard the last week or so? Since Friday the excitement is such that paying close attention on the job is somewhat...difficult. It's the World Cup, baby! Fully underway with no major issues at all, just some beautiful football (especially when Siphiwe Tshabalala made history in the 55^th minute..you go boy). And, admittedly, some not so beautiful football, with a few lackluster games showing that form can be a tricky thing to get right at the right time.

It's far from over but there is a big 'I told you so' feeling hovering around the Shine 2010 office. We've always believed in this World Cup, in South Africa's ability to host a spectacular tournament and in our ability to show tourists a good time. It's happening, it's here...can you feel it! Scuse me while I check what footie I'm going to be watching this afternoon...hmmm, looks like New Zealand versus Slovenia, first. Check you down the pub?

Planes, trains and awesomeness!

Shine2010 — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 11:00:00 GMT

It really is incredible how everything is falling into place, just as the world arrives on our doorsteps. Our stadiums are being beautifully showcased in the numerous warm-up matches, the Gautrain has made its first successful runs from Sandton to OR Tambo Airport and Bafana Bafana continues to go from strength to strength.

We've been waiting to welcome the world for a long time now, as our airports, spruced up in true 21^st Century style, demonstrate. Of course, there has always been that nagging worry around how our many thousands of visitors were going to find their way from the airport to their hotels. Well that fear was well and truly put to bed on Monday morning, when the Gautrain shattered all preconceptions around African public transport.

How many First World nations have the kind of transport systems that can reduce a journey of around an hour and a half to just 15 minutes in one fell swoop? I think even the Japanese, with all their knowledge of bullet trains, will consider the Gautrain to be a world class experience.

The futuristic Gautrain, of course, has no need of the old steam-driven conventions from times past. That doesn't mean that a huge head of steam, rising like a cloud made entirely of silver lining, cannot be seen across South Africa at present. Bafana Bafana began their build up to World Cup some 12 matches ago, when Carlos Alberto Parreira resumed his duties as head coach.

In that time, the national team has built up the kind of momentum that even the most optimistic of fans would have been hard pressed to believe. The team has now lost just once in a dozen matches, and in its last two games, it has stunned the nation. First came the incredible 5-0 demolition of minnows Guatemala - Bafana's biggest ever victory - and then, on Saturday we claimed the scalp of fellow World Cup qualifiers, Denmark.

Winning by a single goal to nil may not have been the most emphatic of results. However, the fact that we were able to beat a side nearly 50 places above us in FIFA's World Rankings suggests that Parreira has got the team working as a unit. The defence has been shored up - Bafana have conceded just two goals in their last six games. At the same time, the fat has been trimmed off the squad (Benni McCarthy having been dropped), which shows in the fact that we have scored 15 goals in that time.

Yes, Mexico will be a tough nut to crack. Certainly, South Africa will be the underdogs. But then, we've been the underdogs in most recent games, and we've still come out on top. We just need Bafana Bafana to take a leaf out of the Gautrain's book and strike with speed and efficiency.

We will have the advantage of the altitude. We will have 90 000 vuvuzelas pumping the boys up. And we will have 45 million voices raised as one in support of the team. The time is now: let's ensure that the Mexican Wave falters on the rock of South African Pride - Go Bafana Bafana!

A World Cup should go to the roadworks crews

Shine2010 — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 07:38:00 GMT

Last week Friday I drove from Beyers Naude to a meeting in Rivonia, at around mid-morning. You know what? The entire freeway, all four glorious lanes, was completely free of any roadworks. Nothing. Nada. No yellow machines, no orange cones, no clouds of grey dust. Just blacktop, bright white and yellow lines, smoothly flowing traffic and absolutely no reason to see red. Yep, it was a green light all the way, past the magnificently redesigned William Nicol offramp and on to the (admittedly somewhat confusing) Rivonia Road junction. At last, finally, and WOW!

Timing, they say, is everything. I reckon if bets were placed on the roadworks being done in time were placed 4 weeks ago, quite a few would have wagered that there's no way it could be done. How would you place your cash now?

On to the football fields. South Africa is having a real run of it of late. Yeah, yeah, we know they are lowly teams like Guatemala and Thailand, but just think of the confidence boost these wins give our team. They are warm-up matches and what better way to warm up than by tasting the back of the net 9 times in 2 weeks. This coming Saturday's match against Denmark is the real tester....and a must-see. After that, it's in-form and dangerous Mexico...awesomeness.

There's been a bit of hoo-haa and ructions around the possibility of terrorist attacks over the course of the tournament. If there is one thing we can say about FIFA with absolute certainty, it is that it leaves nothing to chance where its tournament is concerned. While confidence in our own security forces may or may not be well placed, take some comfort from the fact that the chaps you see on TV doing all sorts of 'spy stuff' are also on the job. You know, the CIA, FBI, MI6, those kinds of chaps. It is, after all, the biggest international event of all time. Read Kevin Bloom's brilliant piece on The Daily Maverick to get a great perspective on just what it is that the FIFA World Cup means to the human race. While you're there, read thinker Ivo Vegter's equally brilliant column on why, whatever your views on surrounding issues, you should love the game and enjoy every single match to the fullest. That's what we at Shine 2010 intend to do.

Taking the world into our hearts (and homes)

Shine2010 — Tue, 25 May 2010 10:04:00 GMT

So, let's have a show of hands...who can't admit to having held some reservations about just how well the FIFA 2010 World Cup was going to go off? You know, once the initial jubilation around the hosting announcement had worn off, and the reality starts to set in....

Not only was there the worry about where all the money for the new stadiums would come from, but there was the issue of infrastructure. Could we get our airports, attractions and roads up to a world class standard, in order to deliver a once-in-a-lifetime experience to all the foreign visitors?

The answers are yes, yes, yes! Our stadiums - one and all - are quite spectacular. The improvements to the airports (at least those airports I have visited recently) are incredible, and you can be equally certain our tourist attractions are comfortably up to scratch.

Sure there remain a few worries around the state of our roads, but as the deadline draws closer, daily improvements mean those traffic jams are finally becoming a thing of the past. In all, we are looking very well placed to deliver the World Cup we promised.

But what about that one big issue...you know, how will our foreign guests be received?

What approach we would take to the opposition? Knowing as we do the strength of the rivalry between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs, for example, what would the Bafana Bafana supporters' approach? Ultimately, there were two avenues we might go down: The 'Samba style' of Brazil, which takes all fans of the beautiful game to its bosom, or the overly-patriotic jingoism of certain European nations, which often ends in hooliganism.

And the funny thing is, the answer was delivered on Saturday evening, via an entirely different sport. The way residents of Soweto took the Blue Bulls fans into the hearts (and even homes) indicates just how awesome this World Cup is going to be.

The Bulls and their fans are often seen as the final bastion of Afrikaner conservatism. Yet there were reports of residents in Soweto taking time off work in order to repaint their entire houses blue, in support of the team from Pretoria. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela attended the match and invited the entire team to come visit her house.

There was even a claim from one fan that he had not used his tickets to the game, as he had been in a pub in Soweto...having so much fun he couldn't bring himself to leave! In fact, the Super 14 semi-final has not only shown how we can expect SA football fans to treat our rivals, it may even have given us another secret weapon for Bafana Bafana to use. (And we note that despite the serious doom and gloom over the side, they seem to be pulling off that most South African of things...the last minute turnaround. Expect Hollywood, sports movie, a-la Cool Runnings, soon...)

According to Victor Matfield, the combination of vuvuzelas and boeremusiek is what helped the team to victory....could it be, could it just be time to enlist Kurt Darren and surly Steve Hofmeyr into the national cause?

Image source: 2OceansVibe

When the Wags tail the dogs…

Shine2010 — Tue, 18 May 2010 08:09:00 GMT

The last time a sport experienced so much 'has he or hasn't he' speculation was when Tiger Woods was trying to avoid getting beaten over the head with a one iron by his wife. What's that to do with football, you ask? And more importantly, the FIFA World Cup? Well...a key question occupying the tabloids seems to be that of whether England coach Fabio Capello is going to allow the team's 'better halves' to join them at the World Cup.

Initially he claimed he didn't want the players' wives and girlfriends (Wags) to attend the event. Given the Wag media circus fanned by the paparazzi in Germany four years ago, this was probably the right approach.

Then, taking a leaf from an Italian colleague's book, Capello changed his plan. The cup-winning Italian team of 2006 enjoyed limited access to their Wags during the tournament, so Capello thought it might be good for morale to do the same. The story goes that they were going to be allowed to meet up with the team on the day after each match, for a quiet braai...or something like that.

However, if you look at the press reports over the last few weeks, the 'will they or won't they' speculation has changed more often even than Tiger's excuses. The latest story is that Capello has invited the injured David Beckham to accompany the team. And where David goes, can his spouse - the former Posh Spice (and constant fame-seeker) - Victoria be far behind? That sets a precedent. One in which Wags arrive en masse.

Of course, if the Wags do arrive in force, the dreaded hacks of the UK 'red tops' will be sure to follow. So, while hosting a group of women who list their occupations as being 'professional shoppers' can only be good for Rustenburg's economy, one has to question whether that little town is ready for the paparazzi...or indeed, if the paparazzi are ready for Rusties.

Come to think of it, knowing our population's penchant for diving in front of a camera and waving like demented circus monkeys, it's probably the paparazzi who will have to watch out. They'll have their work cut out for them just obtaining decent snaps of the Wags around all the over-excited locals.

While loathing for the paparazzi really should be universal, there is room for ambivalence around the Wags. Whether their being allowed to spend 'conjugal' time with their husbands and boyfriends will help England win the World Cup matters not a jot to us South Africans (well, most of us...). But considering that John Terry - the man stripped of the England captaincy for his dalliance with a team mate's ex - remains in a squad deprived for long periods of female company, we'll entertain suspicions that Capello has just sown the seeds of that team's downfall.

Image source: www.dailymail.co.uk

2010: The Social Media World Cup

Shine2010 — Tue, 11 May 2010 10:13:00 GMT

What is perhaps even more remarkable than the first World Cup taking place on African soil is the fact that it will be the first to be driven by social media. While the Germany 2006 event may have seen some social media action, the very concept was, just four years ago, in its infancy. In a staggering testament to the profound speed and reach of the Internet, today sees massive online citizen participation in almost every aspect of daily life.

It is true to say that with notions like the 'digital divide' greatly affect citizen participation; however, like it or not, it is also true to say that most companies marketing, well, anything, are more interested in people who are online (and therefore have some sort of disposable income). Hence, marketers are looking to put their cash into social media strategies en masse, certainly a first for 2010 South Africa.

Unsurprisingly, strategies revolve around those Goliaths of the social media stage, Facebook and Twitter, as is evident in this blog post from Scott Moir.

Of course, Shine 2010 is itself playing a role in making this history (we like to think of this not as an opportunity to blow our own trumpet. Rather, we'd just like people to know that we have a trumpet). Thanks to you, this website has attracted over 1.5 million impressions. In itself, this is something of a case study of how social media works: content is created and shared sometimes off the cuff, othertimes planned (like this blog, naturally, a great deal of planning and thinking goes into these carefully crafted missives). But what is clear is that the power of sharing creates networks, pulls in participants and spreads the messages far and wide.

Shine 2010 is on the web and plugged into the machinery of the Interpipes through the website (we're not giving that to you here) and it is on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.

And of course, as a good Netizen you no doubt know that through these amazing tools, which have come out of nowhere but racked up millions of customers, it is possible for the first time ever to gain insights into the lives of major stars. To the extent that millions of us mere minions can feel like we are part of their glamorous existences.

As the World Cup draws ever nearer, count on the fact that this will be a unique event, driven by new forces empowered by the Internet. Ultimately, through using social media platforms, we have an opportunity to enjoy football like never before: closer, more real, more in touch.

Crash boom bang! But the World Cup looks OK

Shine2010 — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 08:53:00 GMT

If there are two things the Icelandic volcano has taught us, it must be these: disasters in the modern world need not involve loss of life or even serious drama in the immediate vicinity. And sporting events really can come under proper threat from leftfield. Add a third to that: the naysayers never thought of a volcano in some frigid country as being the possible source of interruption. Rather, they focused on everything from the absurd to the utterly absurd.

With most of Europe completely gridlocked, the effect of a bit of ash and gas up in the air has brought travel to a standstill. Impact on sports has been felt as far away as Japan, with the motorcycle GP there pushed out for some 6 months. Spare a thought for the millions of travelers stranded, even as you heave a sigh of relief that this has happened now and not in the mere 50 or so days until the World Cup kicks off here in South Africa.

It seems almost surreal that the world's biggest sports event is mere weeks away. After the looooong period of time since the announcement that South Africa would be the first African host of the soccer World Cup, it is almost as if the huzzah and hullabaloo has all gone quiet. Well, almost all: when tickets for the games finally went on sale the good old fashioned way, we saw South Africans at least going sports bonkers like we'd expect them to (a lesson here FIFA?) with any major event.

Maybe that was the big glitch in the process - a complex system that had even those who could understand it, unwilling to get enmeshed in it? Whatever the case may be, the games are now selling out and selling out pretty quickly. And to local folks too, taking the once in a lifetime opportunity to watch world class football on home soil. Of course, there were other glitches, including with the process in actually selling the tickys, but that got sorted OK.

Oh, and in a rather funny one, have a look at the joy on this fella's face...that could be you, assuming you got some of those tickets. But note, also, the chap in the background. Looks like he just missed out!

The rundown of the last couple of weeks is no doubt the calm before the storm. The gas and ash clouds are going to settle, the lights are coming on (and will stay on!) and the greatest show on Earth is just, only just, around the corner...

2010 negative hysteria just jumped the shark

Shine2010 — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 09:33:00 GMT

There is a strange expression in TV: Jumping the shark. That's when a good show pushes it a little bit too far plot-wise and is suddenly no longer taken seriously by the audience. It is the popping of the bubble which those being entertained think of as 'willing the suspension of disbelief.' The expression came from Happy Days, when the legendary 'Fonz' had to do something really stupid which right there and then ruined the show. Yep, it had something to do with a shark.

Now what has this to do with the Football World Cup? And more specifically, the Football World Cup 2010 in South Africa? Prepare to laugh your behind off.

Evidently, according to some ultra-reliable (is there another kind?) British tabloid, the formerly geologically stable region of southern Africa, is somehow mysteriously likely to be the epicenter of some serious seismic activity. And, what ho old chap, seems the ground is going to shake just right there and then when the tournament is underway.

Uhuh. OK. We could kinda put up with the stab vests thing. The machete gangs was going way too far. And now this rag resorts to this.

While the scientist quoted in the article is genuine and does believe that tectonic activity is likely in South Africa, the tabloid has made a completely spurious correlation between what Dr. Chris Hartnady is on record saying and the World Cup taking place. But it has provided a good glimpse into the machinations of the tabloid press: take partial fact, twist the words of a prominent and recognized authority and shoehorn them to purpose, giving the impression that the authority was interviewed.

Which he wasn't.

Anyway, this observation is something we should consider when looking at the gaudy, cheap and trashy gossip rags on the way out of Woolworths. Reach for a Mail & Guardian or Sunday Independent instead; you might learn something valuable and also limit the success of the gutter press.

The only likely earth shattering thing we're pretty certain of, is some top notch footie. Count on that, not Haiti in Cape Town.

A country divided: Can South Africa look to the power of sport for unity?

Shine2010 — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 09:42:00 GMT

The big news over the weekend, aside from the usual fodder which keeps the press entertained, has to be the passing of Eugene Terre'blanche. It is particularly big news in the light of the now-very imminent World Cup as once again, the naysayers are back to their hobby of predicting doom and gloom and failure of the tournament.

However, maybe 'BBK' has said it best: that bigots will not be the undoing of the World Cup. Those bigots who can have an impact are, of course, numbered many more than Mr. Terre'blanche. Indeed, on the very other side of the fence is young Julius Malema. His inflammatory rhetoric, which ranges from the dangerously delusional, to the utterly ridiculous, has just as much potential to derail as that of the far right wing. President Jacob Zuma would surely do well to limit the utterances of a member of the governing party's various structures, which encourage fear and hate, as we as a nation finalise our preparations for the biggest sporting event in our history. Surely, surely, it is the right thing to do...

We have seen in the past how sports has had the power to mend apparently insurmountable divisions in society. Could it be that the 2010 World Cup is taking place at arguably a more opportune time than ever before? It is just a few short months before the tournament takes place. Our team may be looking rather shaky, having gone down most recently to a side described as 'second string', but perhaps unity depends on more than just our team. Maybe it depends as much on recognizing once more that we have shared interests, shared goals, shared humanity.

On the subject of sport for good, I came across a very interesting organization last week. It's called 'Sport for All' and is described by its CEO, Kelli Givens, as something of a 'Commercial NGO'. The idea is that by participating in sports, children learn a great deal - discipline, teamwork, honour, a sense of belonging - but that not all kids get that chance. Sport for All goes out to kids and gives them that chance. But the difference is that Sport for All is a franchise; the franchise owner earns a living while providing sports facilities. Funding comes from fees paid by those who can afford it, and also from the BEE contributions of companies, in terms of their social development and CSI initiatives.

That's awesome. It also provides us a reminder of just how powerful sport is - and can be. Take a look at Sport for All's website. It is the year of the World Cup, we are all going sports crazy. Maybe you can get involved in some way and play a part in helping the next generation to avoid the folly into which we seem to be slipping right now over the senseless murder of 'ET'.

Of love, hate and the vuvuzela

Shine2010 — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 08:43:00 GMT

If ever there were a polarizing device in this fascinating country of ours, it is likely to be the perhaps not so humble (more brash, really) vuvuzela. We've seen a bit of legal argy bargy from religious groups laying claim to the plastic trumpet, we've seen complaints that it's a racket-making nuisance, we've had the argument advanced that it is the sound of South African football.

But what we hadn't seen to date, is the Vuvu Survival Bag. Hahahaha. A colleague of mine nailed it when he described this particular bit of kit as 'this is just ridiculous'. Mind you, why not. We have pouches for our cellphones, wallets and everything else (including your canned beverage) so why not afford pride of place to your voov as well? And as yet another colleague pointed out, a vuvuzela can also be used as a funnel, for those of you who remember your student days and the various methods of consuming a can of 'liquid' at rather rapid pace.

Seems South African artists are up in arms about the fact that they are being 'sidelined' by the World Cup opening ceremony. At first glance, seems they have a point. But Nic Haralambous puts it best in his analysis of the situation. Remember that fiasco when local artists were wanting to protest about the cast of a Winnie Mandela movie? Hugh Masekela was also going on about why it is that local radio stations play a lot of overseas music; um, maybe it is because that is what the people want to listen to. I've never heard of a business trying to offer products to a market which they know it doesn't want (well except maybe Microsoft - and yes, that is tongue in cheek). The answer I'd say, is to focus on creating demand from your audience. If they want you, then you will get the biz. I'm with Nic on this one, 7 out of 11 for an international event is pretty good representation.