Hear them roar!
It could have been the annual migration on the Serengeti - prides of tall, good-looking, orange-outfitted and skin-suited feline predators flanked numerous other not-quite-distinguishable ‘African printed’ people that congregated, beers in hand, at the FIFA Fan Fest™ this afternoon (and en-route to the stadium), to support the Netherlands. The symbol for Dutch soccer is a lion – hence the African-inspired outfits we spotted!
Carolina Dessing and Paul Hirschel, from Rotterdam, had their outfits tailor-made by a fashion designer friend, who specialises in outlandish outfits, they told us. The animal print is a “touch of Africa,” said Paul – complemented by “Namibian soup chicken” feathers adorning his scarf, and his “Botswana desert pheasant” hat.
Together with a large group of Dutch supporters, Caroline and Paul are staying at a campsite in Paarl – which is “one big party” – and they took a special train to the Grand Parade. Asked why they had not considered cycling the distance, Paul explained that he is, “the only Dutchman in the Netherlands who never drives a bicycle, and he was not about to start now!”
Kees Hommel was also part of the ‘train gang’ – walking the stretch from the station to the FIFA Fan Fest™ in what looked like impossibly uncomfortable orange clogs – and soccer socks! Beer in hand, he confessed that while he does, of course, prefer his own local beers.
Second-only to our own Bafana supporters, the Final Whistle team has judged the Dutch fans as the most fun – and their singing and dancing could give us a run for our money!
Michael Benjamin (pictured right) is a local Netherlands fan – with his Dutch ancestry probably dating back to around 1652… His wife is in the Netherlands right now, working, and he ‘stole’ this orange-blanketed Xhosa lady from her collection – to assert his support for both the African and European teams. He said that he hoped that the television cameras might shoot his Xhosa lady, atop a South-African flag painted pole, and that his wife might therefore be able to pick him out on the crowd when she watched the game.
Anna, Megan, John and Ross Anderson (pictured below) were easy to spot along the Fan Walk – they might just be the only people wearing home-made makarabas decorated with Dutch windmills and beer cans. (We’re wondering if we’re going to read about a family of fans being asked to leave the stadium…). Anna’s grandparents are from Amsterdam, hence the support.
A rare breed indeed today was this brave supporter of Cameroon. Having a great time with his family all dressed in orange to support the Netherlands he had decided to stand out in the vibrant red, yellow and green colours of Cameroon and support Africa!
James Nxamande will nail your colours to the mast, so to speak… He’s painted more than 50 faces since the start of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, and would have painted ours for a small donation of a couple of rands had we not had to rush back to the office to bring you this update… From Cape Town, he’s a ‘freestyle’ tiler, paver and mosaic artist, and has branched out slightly during this month of madness. Look out for him on the Cape Town Station concourse and forecourt.
Fun for all at the Fan Jols
Bellville Velodrome:
Despite a limited crowd today, there was soccer mania in the air as Slovakia and Italy and Cameroon and the Netherlands clashed, with most fans dressed in Italian fan gear for the afternoon match.
The second game was dominated by the 'orange army' who had arrived in Cape Town en-masse on Tuesday. Pre-game entertainment included the 70-strong Elsies District Union Gospel Band, Nqaba Mafilika Kwaito, SistaZoe Afro Reggae band and the ever-popular Soccer Mania dancers.
After Italy’s defeat, popular comedian Kurt Schoonraad and one of the country’s best loved Reggae/Ska bands, The Rudimentals kept the crowd entertained until the Cameroon vs the Netherlands game began.
While the soccer action was going on, Catherine Ochollo, an oil painter from Vredehoek, created a massive soccer mural in pastels on the wall inside the Velodrome with the help of a group of enthusiastic local children. Catherine has been contracted by VANSA (the Visual Art Network of South Africa) and has created similar murals at the City's other fan jols.
Cape Town's littlest citizens were kept busy by Michelle Fourie, the fan jol's resident face painter who spent the afternoon painting Italian and Dutch flags on their cheeks. And behind the scenes, transport authorities kept in constant contact with local taxi operators to ensure that transport was available to and from the Carl Cronje entrance of the Velodrome.
Swartklip Fan Jol:
Swartklip Fan Jol was packed today, as fans took advantage of the sunny weather to watch the match live on the jol’s giant screen, strut their stuff in the karaoke competition and take in the sounds of Loukmaan Adams, who proved very popular, according to Sue Baguley, Co-ordinator of the jol. “As part of our commitment to making sure that everybody is part of the World Cup, we took free balls and vuvuzelas to Dengan and Ebenezer crèches today.” Children at the crèches, which are situated in Mitchells Plain, dressed the part of their favourite soccer team (Bafana Bafana!) and gave a perfect rendition of the national anthem, before coming up to collect their balls and vuvuzelas. “It was really quite amazing,” said Sue, “considering they are only four years old!”
The outreach programme extended to Lentegeur Hospital, where Swartklip Fan Jol staff gave free vuvuzelas and soccer balls to patients on Tuesday 22 June, including four-year-old Chloe Morris. The little girl was delighted with her present.
Vygieskraal:
Today saw the first of many more Children’s Day at Vygieskraal Fan Jol. Community centres from the area were invited to bring children to the jol to enjoy a day of soccer coaching clinics, karaoke, dancing competitions, a jumping castle and five-a-side soccer, safe and secure in the grounds of the Vygieskraal stadium, and overseen by the City of Cape Town’s Come and Play initiative, amongst others.
One of the surprise guests who appeared was soccer legend Quinton Fortune who has represented a number of European clubs including Manchester United, and our own Bafana Bafana. He chatted to the youngsters and gave out signed soccer balls much to the delight of the lucky recipients.
From the Sports and Recreation division in Hanover Park was Yasser Swartz who had a crowd of youngsters around him. He said, “They live in my street so I thought I’d bring them along.” He was a hero to the children who were asking him to sign their cardboard hats as a memento and pleaded for their picture to be taken…
Oliver Tambo:
In between the matches today the crowds were kept entertained with movies, Saalim Ismael, Iqiumba, I-Scream Chocolate Stix and Ernestine Dean. Fans can look forward to being kept on their toes this coming Tuesday with Rimesstein, the Showtime Boys and a smooth-talking DJ…
The Fan Jols close at 23:00 tonight and will reopen on Tuesday 29 June for the Cape Town and Pretoria round of 16 matches.
Free MyCiTi bus ride, Friday 25 June 2010
Join Mayor Dan Plato and Councillor Elizabeth Thompson on a free ride on the MyCiTi inner-city loop tomorrow afternoon.
The MyCiTi inner-city loop, which usually costs R8 per trip, will be free from midnight tonight (Thursday), until midnight tomorrow (Friday). The free rides are offered on a first come first served basis and commuters will receive a complimentary ticket as they board the bus.
The MyCiTi inner-city service has been specifically provided for the World Cup period and the City of Cape Town wants residents and visitors to experience this service as it offers a taste of the public transport system envisaged for Cape Town.
“Come and catch the bus with us. It is a professional service, and all the people I’ve chatted to on the MyCiTi bus, say they are extremely impressed by the high-standard of service offered,” said Cllr. Thompson. “The MyCiTi service has been a huge success as a World Cup service and has received many compliments from locals and foreign visitors. It signals the way to something far greater, and we’d like Capetonians to start looking forward to that. In the future, as part of the first phase of the permanent MyCiTi service, there will be several permanent routes around Cape Town, starting with a trunk route on the R27,” says Thompson.
Mayor Plato and Cllr Thompson will leave the Civic Centre Station at approximately 14:00.