Billions of people from around the globe tuned in to see tonight’s 2010 FIFA World Cup™ semi-final between the Netherlands and Uruguay at Cape Town Stadium, making it one of the most watched events on the planet. As the teams ran out onto the pitch at 20:30, fans blew vuvuzelas and went wild in a bid to welcome them and ease the tension, which was almost palpable for both the teams – and the fans. For Capetonians, it was a bittersweet moment, given that the match was the last World Cup game to be played in Cape Town Stadium, and they gave the experience everything they had, determined that it would be the mother of all parties – no matter what the outcome of the match. 

The Flying Dutchmen, as the Netherlands team is also known, were hot favourites to win, having sent formidable Brazil packing last Friday, and have an extremely large - and colourful - following, with a number of very dedicated fans. More than 10 000 members of ‘Oranjecamping’, a fan group that has been following the team around South Africa, descended on the city today, and along with local Dutch supporters (South Africans who support the Dutch in honour of their ancestry) effectively turned its streets into an orange clad party zone.

Uruguay went into the match on a less sure footing, given their controversial victory over Ghana last Friday. The blue and white team had to refute allegations of having ‘cheated’ Ghana out of a place in the semi-finals (Cape Times, 6 July 2010), and have only had two appearances in the last five FIFA World Cups. They also have a smaller fan base amongst locals, most of whom were greatly disappointed by the team's victories over Bafana Bafana and Ghana. Nevertheless, they put up a strong fight, scoring a valiant two goals against the Netherlands' three.

Once the teams have gone tomorrow, memories of the tournament will linger on as testament to what a great show South Africans are capable of putting on, and the infrastructure built in preparation for the tournament will serve the city for perpetuity. Meanwhile, the tourism industry is patting itself on the back following the results of a snapshot survey of World Cup visitors in the Western Cape, which reveals that 98 percent of them plan to return to South Africa for a visit. This emerged last week when Team Tourism – comprising tourism MEC Alan Winde, Cape Town Routes Unlimited CEO Calvyn Gilfellan, 2010 Coordinator Dr Laurine Platzky and City of Cape Town Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Development and Tourism, Alderman Felicity Purchase - released the results of an exit poll on the experience of visiting soccer fans.

The results also showed that, contrary to sensational headlines in the foreign media, tourists felt safe. Platzky said the tourism team was nervous about meeting the standards set by Germany in 2006, but it now appeared that South Africa, and the Western Cape, had made a success of the mega-event. She said it was unfortunate that no teams had used Cape Town as their base due to concerns over bad weather and altitude, but having more than 400 international media teams in the Western Cape meant that the message that the province was safe would be broadcast to the rest of the world. Alderman Purchase said that more than one million people, both foreign visitors and locals, had visited the Cape Town city centre, and a total of 1.7 million were expected to have visited it by the end of the tournament. Retail shopping centres in the city had done well as a result, with over 150 000 people visiting the V&A Waterfront every day, on par with peak Christmas season visitor numbers.

FIFA Fan Fest™ 

As morning showers gave way to an unexpected day of glorious sunshine, soccer fans made an early start at the FIFA Fan Fest™ in the build-up to tonight’s semi-final. Seven hours before kick-off, about 2 000 enthusiasts – mainly Dutch with a sprinkling of Uruguayans - had gathered on the Grand Parade to celebrate and take in onstage entertainment, which included the Gugulethu Tenors and Capsolys.

Traders selling paraphernalia were apparently caught unawares by the unexpected progress of the Uruguayans to the semis. Not a single Uruguayan beanie or scarf could be found among the stalls lining the Fan Fest.

Earlier in the afternoon, Sepp Blatter, President of FIFA, added his handprints to the Mandela Legacy Canvas at the Grand Parade. The ‘famous handprints’ project, initiated by the City of Cape Town in honour of former President Nelson Mandela and his legacy of ‘offering peace, and not hatred or revenge’, has nearly 70 palm imprints made by a selection of illustrious people, including Prince Albert of Monaco and London Mayor Boris Johnson. It will be auctioned later to raise funds for the Mandela Foundation.

Although there aren't any more Cape Town based games, plenty of entertainment has been scheduled for the rest of the week, and the fun won't stop till the final whistle has blown on Sunday 11 July. Tomorrow night, thousands of fans are expected to pour into the FIFA Fan Fest™ to watch the Germany vs Spain clash in Durban. Gates open at 13:00 and fans are urged to arrive early. Programme highlights include Abekaya at 18:00. The fan fest will be closed on Thursday and Friday, and will re-open on Saturday for the third place play-off. It will also be open for the 20:30 screening of the final on Sunday 11 July.

Cape Town Stadium

The area around the Cape Town Stadium was abuzz with 'gees' hours before kick-off, with many ticket-holders and Capetonians milling around, enjoying the atmosphere and the unexpected late-afternoon sunshine.

Amongst them was a group of Uruguayan supporters. Francisco Itzaina, from Montevideo (second from left), had just arrived in Cape Town, but his first day hadn’t gone as planned, as a result of a mix-up over his hotel booking.

"But that was the fault of my travel agent back home, and it's being sorted out," he reassured the Final Whistle team.

Apart from that, his experiences of Cape Town had been very positive. "I did a lot of research, and arriving here was a pleasant confirmation of what I expected," he said, adding that it was also "more beautiful".

"Everything seems to be well organised. The traffic flows, there wasn't any trouble getting around, and there are lots of police around, so it's safe," he said.

Others in his group were more concerned about the upcoming World Cup™ semi-final against the Netherlands than talking about their experiences.

"But we went to Philippi Stadium to watch the practice session, so that was a good way to get an idea of what the rest of Cape Town is like," said Fernando Itzaina (far right). 

He had been in Cape Town for two days, and spent most of it in and around the V&A Waterfront. "There is lots to do there. But after the game tonight, we will relax a bit more and go to the other tourist destinations."

Another group planning to take in the city's main attractions was a tour party from Indonesia, who were posing for a team photo against the backdrop of the stadium.

Still feeling a bit jet-lagged after their 36-hour flight from Jakarta, they were looking forward to seeing the semi-final and spending a few days in Cape Town before travelling to Johannesburg for the final.

Otto Kaligis (pictured left with his daughter Tirsa), a Jakarta lawyer, said he was particularly enjoying hearing Afrikaans, as Indonesia had also been a Dutch colony and he recognised a lot of words.

He said he travels a lot and thought the welcome at the airport was very efficient, despite the large numbers of tourists arriving. The Fan Walk and area around the stadium was also very well organised, he said. 

"I was made to feel very welcome. I feel at home here," he beamed.

His daughter, Tirsa, said she was also enjoying her experience in Cape Town.

Meanwhile, a group of American backpackers had decked themselves out in orange after choosing to support the Dutch team following their country's exit from the World Cup™.

Courtney Moore (pictured right), from Washington DC, said his five days in Cape Town had been "nothing short of amazing", and he'd had "zero negative experiences".

He and his friends are staying in a hostel in Long Street, and have been out partying every night since they arrived. They agree that Marvel is the best club in that strip. "It's less touristy, and you meet more local people there," he explained.

They had also been up Table Mountain, to Cape Point, done a tour of the winelands, and had done a lot of walking around the city.

"It is such a beautiful city. I also felt 100% safe. The beggars on Long Street are a bit irritating but they don't make you feel unsafe, and it seems like there are lots of cops around. I had heard that Cape Town is much safer than Joburg, but even when I was there, I didn't feel that unsafe. In fact, the only place I didn't feel safe was the Kruger National Park, because I was scared of the lions!"

He and his friends had found the V&A Waterfront a good place "for doing everything", and also thought that Cape Town was very affordable.

And his best experience of Cape Town? "Well, there are all the tourist things and all that, but for me, it's got to be this awesome atmosphere, the fun – everyone is in a good mood, happy, having a good time. That's what I'm going to remember most about Cape Town, and tell everyone back home about," he smiled.

Bellville Velodrome Fan Jol

Today’s entertainment line-up included the Fantastic Two, who gave an electrifying ballroom dancing demonstration, followed by Soccer Mania dancers (including graffiti artist Falko Star), iKapa Fusion Dance, Capoeira Brazilian Dance and Drums, the Sange Afro Pop Band, Manding Kan Drums and Dance, Afro, Jazz, Funk and Goema fusion artist Jonathan Rubain, the Sibonela Dance Project, Mtika Afro Jazz Band and Ashtray Electric (pictured right). The 2 500 fans took the opportunity to dance the night away, buoyed by the the Netherlands victory.

Tomorrow: Catch Kurt Schoonraad, 5th Floor, the Soccer Mania dancers, SAMA award winning vocalist and songwriter Claire Philips, The Plastics, Capoeira Brazilian Dance and Drums and 12 Avenue Rock Band before and after the game at 20:30. Doors open at 11:00.

Oliver Tambo Fan Jol

Popular local artists Liesl Stoffberg, Zama and top vocalist and songwriter Claire Phillips wowed the crowds at the Oliver Tambo Fan Jol tonight. Fans came dressed up in orange, green and yellow, and celebrated Cape Town's successful hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ late into the night in a way that only Capetonians can.

Tomorrow: There will be a movie screening at 11:00, followed by Verity and the Shades, Iqhude Theater Productions, Hawstone Steelpan Band, Downtown Jazz Sounds, Alan Marriot, Driemanskap, Black Noise and the Gugulethu Tenors.

Swartklip Fan Jol

Top local band Deja Vu and performers from the Vadhini Indian Arts Academy (pictured right), Nothemba Bolele Agnes Kembele, 12th Avenue, Blackcurrent, Cape Maylay, Siyazakha and Nativflo provided tonight's entertainment, which was very well received by the thousands of fans who had come to watch the semi-final. In a celebratory mood, the crowd seemed to be oblivious to the cold wind, and partied late into the night.

Tomorrow: Catch headline act Jamali, supported by emerging talents Cape Maylay, Sange, Van die Bokkie, 3D, Vuvuzela Orchestra, Heavenly Quartiers and The Boys.

Vygieskraal Fan Jol

Judging by the way fans reacted to hip hop artist Jitsvinger's energetic performance at the Vygieskraal Fan Jol, local talent is highly appreciated by Athlone residents. The crowd particularly liked the band's skit on colloquialisms, and the youth were enthralled by the professional lights and sound. The 19-piece Delft big band was also well received.

Tomorrow: There will be movies at 11:00, followed by 5-a-side soccer (for children), Manilo and Shannon, Concious, the Marimba Band, Cape Velvet, the Urban Sounds Brass Band, the Jikeleza Dance Project and I-Scream Choclate Stix. The headline act is popular local talent Deja Vu.