Joburg is definitely the place for soccer fans and TV crews to base themselves for the 2010 World Cup. Of the 63 matches, 15 are in Joburg – either ar Ellis Park or Soccer City. In addition to these, 6 matches are in Pretoria (58 km/36 miles) and 6 are in Rustenberg (165km/102 miles).  And there [...]

There are thousands of photos of Soccer City … but none of them have been mine .. until yesterday when I had the privilege of actually experiencing that space.  Stefania, the project manager of Soccer City, has been  a guest at Amanzi Guesthouse around the corner.  So it’s thanks to Pam that she, myself and three others were given [...]

Because of the advantage of training at high altitude, Gauteng is definitely favoured. The Australian team – the Socceroos –will base themselves at the Kloofzicht Lodge in the Zwartkops Mountains between Johannesburg and Pretoria. About a 45 minutes drive from both cities, they will be close to the Cradle of Humankind. For training, they will [...]

2010 Match Schedule
GROUP A  1. South Africa  2. Mexico 3. Uruguay 4. France
11 June  – Jhb Soccer City  South Africa – Mexico @  16:00
11 June  – CT Green Point  Uruguay – France @  20:30
16 June  – PTA  Loftus Versfeld Soutth Africa – Uruguay @ 20:30
17 June  – Polokwane Peter Mokaba France – Mexico @ [...]

The 90-minute ceremonyfor the long-awaited draw for the 2010 World Cup starts at 7pm tonight. The ceremony will be held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre and it seems the live broadcast will start at 6.30 pm?   Amidst all the politics, hype , glitz and spin, there will be appearances by some great African performers. The [...]

I have had the privilege of being provided with beautifully handcrafted cloths, intricately decorated with beads and safety pins to sell to guests.  Through a guest staying here at the guest house I met up again with  Mbhanyele Jameson Maluleke, whom I had first met whilst I was still at Wits.  Mbhanyele Jameson runs a group project [...]

The Confed cup went very well with Sepp Blatter ending up giving SA’s event a 7/10. One of the big criticisms was the transport to and from the stadiums and this was without the difficulties of getting from A to B without your own vehicle.  But things are happening to change this: 
Rapid Rail or Gautrain
Construction [...]

Getting around Joburg: what are the present options? 
Minibus taxis
Introduced throughout South Africa in 1977, these 15-seater minibuses grew into a massive virtually unregulated industry. As their name suggests, they are more akin to small buses than to traditional taxis or cabs which either roam or are called to a destination (see metered taxis below).  Because [...]

 
Much of the talk on Radio 702 yesterday focused on the vuvuzelas at the Confederation Cup soccer games and it seems there are polarized opinions of them – people either love `em or hate `em.  FIFA’s initial concerns about the vuvuzela (probably influenced as much by their potential for competitive advertising, as by the loud cacophony [...]