Cape Town – So dinosaurs can dance!
The Springboks have suddenly bared their teeth at the World Cup, the defending champions reminding the planet that even some of their older pairs of legs still have plenty of gusto left in them.
South Africa served up a feast in Wellington on Saturday, overcoming Fiji by six tries to nil for an emphatic outcome many of us, let’s face it, had considered fairly unlikely after the tepid disposal of Wales and an unfortunate lead-up winter to RWC 2011 as well.
Johannesburg - The Congress of SA Trade Unions hoped the implication on Tuesday of a non-South African in the murder of tourist Anni Dewani would help restore the country's reputation.
"Let us hope that the swift and efficient way in which this case has been dealt with, and the fact that it is now becoming clear that it was planned by a non-South African, will help to restore the country’s reputation to the levels we achieved during and after the World Cup," the union federation said in a statement.
Washington - The US government praised South Africa for hosting an "excellent" Soccer World Cup and congratulated Spain for capturing the trophy with a 1-0 finals victory over Netherlands.
"We congratulate and thank the people of South Africa for hosting an excellent month of soccer," State Department spokeman PJ Crowley said on Monday. "It was the first time an African nation hosted the World Cup, and South Africa proved its ability to do so quite nobly."
Ten reasons why the Cape Town 2010 Fan Walk worked so well
The Cape Town Fan Walk has become one of the talking points of Cape Town’s World Cup experience. The editorial in today’s Cape Argus described it as a ‘masterstroke’. John Robbie of 702 Talk Radio asked Andrew Boraine yesterday to what we as a city owed the success of the Fan Walk. Andrew Boraine listed the following factors as critical:
Johannesburg - The buzz from Africa's first soccer World Cup is being heard in investment houses across the globe, drawing new business and even capital to the continent that has evolved in the last decade from international basket-case to fast-growing frontier market.
"There's definitely been a pick-up in flows from Europe. There's no doubt about that," said John Mackie, head of African investments at Johannesburg-based Stanlib, which manages R2.2bn in sub-Saharan Africa's frontier markets.
Johannesburg - The World Cup could set a new record for paid attendance with three million fans expected to attend games, local organising committee CEO Danny Jordaan said on Thursday.
"With the quarterfinals, semi-finals and final being played at the biggest stadiums in the country, it is possible we will top the three million fan attendance mark after the final at Soccer City on July 11," Jordaan told media in Sandton, Johannesburg.
Already 2.69 million fans had paid to watch the first two rounds of the global showpiece.
Cape Town - Authorities in World Cup host city Cape Town have put a sock into plans to honk a 37-metre-long vuvuzela over fears its sound could trigger traffic chaos, a report said on Sunday.
The monster instrument, located on an unfinished flyover close to the city's Waterfront shopping area, is said to be the world's biggest trumpet and would have to be powered by the horn of a giant truck.
But the Sunday Times reported that officials fear the deafening racket could cause mayhem on the roads below.
Johannesburg – An online company has begun marketing an "Anti Vuvuzela Filter" that promises to silence the sound of the controversial plastic trumpets that have become the trademark of the Soccer World Cup.
The company's website sells an MP3 audio file for $3.60 that the company says will cancel the vuvuzela noise for TV viewers by producing a sound wave similar to the horn's that cancels the noise.
Johannesburg – Brazil, the world’s most iconic soccer team, are set to begin their World Cup 2010 campaign against North Korea at Ellis Park here on Tuesday night … but conditions will barely be conducive to the ever-vibrant Samba.
An icy blast has arrived in Gauteng, with rolling clouds accompanied by a numbing wind, and a 20:30 kick-off ought to only further enhance the rank underdogs’ chances of a surprise result.
