An Inside View Of Life In South Africa

[Bizarra]

An inside view of real life in South Africa, from a Reporter stationed there for the World Cup

Freedom from FIFA's world will leave us lost in reality

By Dion Fanning

Sunday July 11 2010

Nobody wants this World Cup to end. Nobody wants to wake up tomorrow with nothing to do.

In South Africa last week, they talked of little else, for many different reasons. It was the constant subject of radio shows, "What will we do now?" For some there was a more ominous, "What's going to happen next?"

South Africa spent so long preparing for this tournament that even the knowledge that they have defied most predictions by staging a superb tournament may not protect them from this week's crash.

Every football fan fears it: the knowledge that now we are staring into the abyss, an uncertain future until early next month when there is the fake enthusiasm of pre-season friendlies. Until then, we are alone, unutterably alone.

Brenda, whose house I am staying in, has said she doesn't want us to leave. In fact, she seems to be doing all she can to make sure we're settled.

Last week she provided me with a panic button. There had been some confusion the night before when the alarm accidentally went off. I assumed this was the moment I had been dreading since I started reading horror stories about what was going to happen to me in South Africa. In fact, it was a guest raiding the larder, something, which, given Brenda's hospitality, I'm surprised doesn't happen more often.

The next day I was handed a panic button. I could have asked for a definition. I panic a lot, so when will this be useful? Do I press it when I'm in the middle of some terrible self-diagnosis or when I'm stuck for some feature ideas?

Brenda took me through it.

"Press it now," she said.

I did and then forgot about it for about two minutes. Suddenly, there was some screeching outside and Brenda went running to the front gate. On the other side was a heavily armed man, looking slightly tense, as heavily armed men should. Behind him were two truckloads of heavily armed men, none of whom seemed particularly relaxed either.

Brenda explained that she was just going through a drill for her neurotic Irish guest and then beckoned me forward where I jokingly confirmed that this was indeed a drill and I was indeed that guest. We stared at each other for a while, with his stare affecting me more. He took some details from Brenda and went on his way.

"He didn't seem to find it very funny," I said as we went in.

"I guess when you show up thinking you might have to kill someone, it's hard to laugh," Brenda said.

It has been easy not to panic in South Africa for this month, crime is down 70 per cent, but no sooner has it come towards the end than it has been suggested this was not the real country.

Last week, the newspapers carried pictures of Zimbabwean immigrants fleeing Cape Town because they had been warned that, once the World Cup ended, they would be attacked.

Police said the pictures of people pitched on the side of the road were misleading as they were seasonal farm workers heading home. Yet, other agencies reported that Zimbabweans were fleeing the townships where they don't feel safe.

Two years ago, there were xenophobic riots in the Alexandra township which left 60 dead and the memory of that is now returning as the reality that the World Cup and the police overtime that came with it is ending

Last week, Alex was a joyous place when it staged FIFA's Football for Hope tournament. This can be seen as another piece of Sepp Blatter noise. "We are giving hope to the world that perhaps through football we can become better human beings," he said last week, both echoing and defying Michael Jackson in the same sentence.

But Sepp feels everything he has done might earn him the Nobel Peace Prize one of these days and you have to wade through that in anything to do with FIFA.

Yet there was something special about the five-a-side tournament that ended yesterday. There were 32 teams from 29 countries. Ireland were represented by a team from Sport Against Racism Ireland which brought players from north and south to Johannesburg.

Some of the countries seemed to have put a bit more emphasis on footballing skill than others.

There are no referees so the teams agree amongst themselves the rules. On the day I went, teams were applauding their opponents' goals, although some felt this might become less of a priority as the competition became more intense.

The local crowd from Alex had brought their vuvuzelas into the stands, the players' pictures were put up on a big screen behind the goal as they came on and they played to a manic soundtrack from a local commentator who had to be asked to calm down because the players were becoming too frenzied in response.

The Irish team were doing so well at the Fair Play that they reached a point where some of their mentors felt like saying forget about the Fair Play.

On Friday night, the Irish delegation broke free of their compound and dined in style at the Wimpy in Sandton City. They had, as you would expect, enjoyed their two weeks in South Africa, even if at times, as you would also expect, they rubbed up some of FIFA's people the wrong way. That would be a commendation too.

Dean Simpson, their goalkeeper, had become a bit of a hero to the kids in Alex who chanted his name when he walked by. He was interviewed for some FIFA channel as well. He found that strange. They asked what would he tell the South African people about South Africa. Dean thought, why would I tell South Africans about South Africa? They live here, they know what it's like.

Hailuu Netsiyanwa is from Blanchardstown. Known as 'H', his role was to be the bridge between the team and the officials and occasionally, as there were no referees, to keep an eye on things on the field when the fair play concept was in danger of being forgotten.

H is 22. He used to go on holidays in South Africa when he lived in Zimbabwe until his parents left there for Ireland.

He knew the two weeks wouldn't be a holiday, but you get the sense talking to H that very little surprises him.

Those who did think it was going to be a holiday soon settled down, in their own fashion, to the realities of life in a FIFA-controlled environment. On Friday night as they wandered through Nelson Mandela Square, taking pictures of themselves underneath the statue of Madiba, they were part of the World Cup story. They were like all of us in a FIFA-controlled environment: We want freedom and yet we don't want it to end.

dfanning@independent.ie

- Dion Fanning

Sunday Independent

[Jan&tone]

Smashing article - very interesting and thought provoking

[Raistlin]

It's like Ireland without the sun and the world cup :D

[Bizarra]

It's like Ireland without the sun and the world cup :D

Just you wait till we get you over here :censor: Remember that I know a man who knows a man........

Don't worry, my friend I'll look after you, for a price

[Raistlin]

Again with the money, I thought it was me that was Jewish

[Bizarra]

Again with the money, I thought it was me that was Jewish

It must have rubbed off, through close acquaintance.................

[Raistlin]

I'll leave you a tip...

[Bizarra]

I'll leave you a tip...

15% is acceptable. Anything less is cheapskate. ;)

[Raistlin]

I don't do gratuities

[Bizarra]

I don't do gratuities

I know That's why I spelled out the current rates.

Didn't believe it anyway, so there :shutit:

[Raistlin]

My Tip,

Look both ways before you cross the road...

[Bizarra]

Again with the money, I thought it was me that was Jewish

Perfect Breasts

A little old Jewish man is walking down the street one afternoon when he sees a woman with perfect breasts.

He says to her, "Hey miss, would you let me bite your breasts for $100?"

"Are you nuts?!!!" she replies, and keeps walking away.

He turns around, runs around the block and gets to the corner before she does. "Would you let me bite your breasts for $1,000 dollars?" he asks again.

"Listen you; I’m not that kind of woman! Got it?"

So the little old Jewish man runs around the next block and faces her again; "Would you let me bite your breasts just once for $10,000 dollars?"

She thinks about it for a while and says, "Hmmm, $10,000 dollars; Ok, just once, but not here. Let’s go to that dark alley over there."

So they go into the alley, where she takes off her blouse to reveal the most perfect breasts in the world.

As soon as he sees them, he grabs them and starts caressing them, fondling them slowly, kissing them, licking them, burying his face in them, but not biting them. The woman finally gets annoyed and asks, "Well? Are you gonna bite them or not?"

"Nah", says the little old Jewish man… "Costs too much…"

[Raistlin]

Why do Jewish fathers have their sons circumcised ?

Because they know Jewish women can't resist anything with 10% off.