The 2010 Fifa World Cup is less than 100 days away and South Africa is gearing up for a fantastic two month feast of sport. Perhaps you have already booked your tickets? If you haven’t grab some and book a tour with us, or have a look at our ticket inclusive tours. However you get here, once her you may need a little local knowledge, just enough to give you the edge! Here are five top tips to help you survive and thrive the 2010 Fifa World Cup in South Africa.
1. Get to Know the Vuvuzela
If you tuned in to the successful Confederations Cup in 2009 you will already know the sound of African football, the sound of the Vuvuzela. A trumpet of sorts the name Vuvuzela is thought to originate from the Zulu word for ‘making noise’ and that is something it does well! Whatever your views on its addition to or subtraction from the soccer experience, the fact is that Vuvuzelas will be a big part of the Soccer World Cup 2010. An old African saying states that a baboon can be killed by a lot of noise and African fans use the Vuvuzela as a weapon of sound against the opposition. So if you can’t beat them… join them.
To blow your very own Vuvuzela requires lip flexibility and great lung strength, technique is everything. Put your lips inside the mouthpiece, not over it and then make a noise… a ‘farting’ noise by vibrating your lips inside the mouthpiece as you blow air through the instrument. Once you get the distinctive sound, blow harder and harder and practice longer and longer
2. Ride the Real African Taxi
No London cabs or yellow New York taxis in Africa, here a taxi is most often of the Mini-bus variety with 90% of the market dominated by this form. Taxis are the most popular mode of transport in urban areas for the majority of South Africa’s population. Not only is it the most available mode of transport, it is also the most affordable to the public. Be sure to ask a local the going rate though!
Normally there is a complex series of hand and finger signals to indicate to passing taxis your intended destinations. Don’t worry though; you won’t have to know them. Simply hold up some soccer paraphernalia and the passing drivers will definitely know where you’re headed!
3. Know the Language
While the vast majority of South Africans speak passable English you may grow confused at some of the slang phrases. Our robots are nothing like R2D2, just now doesn’t mean immediately, and babbelas is not a shampoo. Never fear here are a few choice words to get you up to speed.
- howzit – A traditional South African greeting that translates roughly as “How are you?”, “How are things?” or simply “Hello”.
- Mzungu – is the generic terms for whites and means sea foam.
- Robot – what we call traffic lights the early ones were probably the first robotically operated gadgets people had seen.
- babbelas – hangover (of Zulu origin)
- boerewors – Literally, farmer’s sausage. A savoury sausage developed by the Boers – today’s Afrikaners – some 200 years ago, boerewors is South African food at its most traditional and is normally served in a roll, aka: The Boerewors Roll.
- lekker – nice, good, great (lit. tasty)
- laduma! – a popular cheer at soccer matches, “he scores!” (literally: “it thunders”, in Zulu)
- just now – sometime in the near future, not necessarily immediately.
- now now – an immediate but not literal declaration of impending action, may be past or future tense. From the Afrikaans expression “nou nou”. (as in 5-60 minutes)
4. Get Your Butt to a Fanpark
So you’re in Cape Town but the game you came to see at the Greenpoint stadium was played yesterday. You have already been to Robben Island and ascended Table Mountain, sure there are plenty of other activities such as heading to the Winelands, but most of those activities neglect the most important thing; Soccer! So get yourself to the nearest fan park. All the Fifa World Cup 2010 host cities will have fan parks were you can watch all the games on a big screen, enjoy live entertainment and get to know the locals. In fact Johannesburg has three fan parks planned and Cape Town will have three of its own.
5. Don’t be Surprised by the Weather
You have seen the brochures, the pictures of sandy sun filled beaches. Don’t be surprised if it’s not quite as sunny as all that. You see June and July are the winter months in the Southern Hemisphere. But don’t be put off, our winter is mild in comparison to the Northern Hemisphere, South Africans throw on a jacket when it gets into the low twenties (Celsius!). Although we are used to having beach days in the middle of winter, they can be spaced quite far apart if you are unlucky. We find South African red wine the very best way to warm up if it does get slightly chilly.
More World Cup Goodness
On this very blog you will find a write up of each of the world cup host cities and their stadiums. Or have a look at the shortened version on our website at:
World Cup Stadiums
World Cup Tours
Bonus Tip
When you’re booking for the World Cup in South Africa and surfing the vast array available online, look for TM (trademark) sign whenever the FIFA World Cup 2010 is mentioned. Official resellers must submit all their marketing material to FIFA for review and it needs to conform to stringent standards. So if you don’t see the trademark sign, then you’re not looking at an approved package, simple!