Twenty Ten!

Finally!

After years of planning, and my incessant insistence, that it was all a terrible squandering of government resources the 2010 World cup is here!

And O the joy!

Even if it is as the doomsayers suggest, a naive illusion, the sense of unity and connectedness between all South Africans is palpable.

We are moved by the countless cars and homes festooned with South African flags, and there is a glorious feeling of national pride and patriotism. A welcome relief from the insecurity that so often festers when the like of Julius Malema and his ilk, dominate the newspaper headlines.

I think of the families that immigrate to countries like Britain or the United States of America. I think of how the children born of those immigrants are considered as fully British or American. And I wonder how many generations a 'white' man must live here before he is considered, if ever, truly African...

For now the colour of my skin seems irrelevant as I merge with my fellow countrymen, as a proud and delighted South African.

Viva Bafana Bafana Viva!

Steele and Mr Nielson better known as Sid, cavort with locals on the fan walk.

Our first Cape Town game: France versus Uruguay at the Cape Town Stadium, designed I might add by our friend Louis Karol's architectural firm.

The stadium is a beauty, and the crowd an infectious delight.

The vuvuzela's sound their relentless battle cry. I took ear plugs with to soften the onslaught but soon got used to the incessant buzz. The atmosphere was electrifying!

We had brilliant seats, even though the ticket purchasing system was a fiasco. Some of our cheaper tickets are better seated then our most expensive category 1 tickets. Fifa is a law unto itself, and their manipulation and control is dictatorial and mercenary in the extreme.

After the game, as we watch the stadium empty out, Steele displays his approval.

Then Steele and Mr Nielson better known as Sid, speak to the security guards that surround the pitch.

Within a few days they go on strike over a wage dispute.

Promised high remuneration they protest the paltry sums they are to be paid in reality. The Local Organising Committee ( LOC) and Fifa will be enriched by hundreds of millions, whilst as usual the poorest continue to be exploited.

They are soon dismissed, and the police step in countrywide to provide the security.

Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose...

xxx