Go South Africa!!!!

How's this for a soccer fan? There are plenty of cars driving around with one or two flags and the "mirror socks", covers for the wing mirrors made of the country's flag, but I have never seen anyone go to quite this length! I bought a couple of flags for my bakkie but while it was being serviced they were stolen - go figure!

The atmosphere around the World Cup here at the moment is fantastic and apparently the sales of "Patriotic" gear such as Bafana Bafana tee shirts, caps, flags and the infamous vuvuzela has been incredible with stores reporting record figures. You can certainly see literally hundreds of people wearing the yellow tee shirts, especially on the days that our team has been playing.

Detractors of the world cup have been saying that it should never have come here, that far too much has been spent on stadia and infrastructure that could rather have been spent on housing for the poor, hospitals and schools etc and maybe they have a point, but one thing is for certain; it has done more for racial unity than anything since our beloved Nelson Mandela appeared on the rugby field wearing Francois Pienaar's jersey after that famous World Cup win.

It actually started before the soccer, it started with the Super 14 rugby final which was played at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto, Johannesburg - thousands of white Bulls and Stormers rugby fans going into Soweto, which is normally the home of soccer, and being received with smiles and open arms. Their reaction, according to the newspapers was very positive and many were apparently very pleasantly surprised after being a little apprehensive.

We need more of this and even if the country is not going to make much money out of the soccer world cup there are definitely going to be other less tangible but more important benefits.

GO BAFANA BAFANA - GO SOUTH AFRICA!