The Wheel of Excellence. Photo courtesy Warren Rohner

With only a week before the World Cup kicks off in South Africa, the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town launched its state-of-the-art Wheel of Excellence, from which World Cup fans will be able to see the whole of the Mother City.

Situated in the city’s oldest working harbour, London Eye’s South African counterpart is expected to be in Cape Town for about six months.

The wheel will provide a unique way to enjoy panoramic views of Cape Town, Table Mountain, Robben Island and Paarl.

In any one of 36 fully-enclosed cabins, friends and family can sit back and take delight in the city skyline on the 20-minute round trip. For those who seek a little more luxury, sparkling wine and canapés are also available in one of the VIP cabins.

The London Eye has done a lot for boosting tourism in London; it welcomes an average of 3.5 million customers every year.

Speaking on the impact Cape Town’s wheel will have, V&A Waterfront 2010 commercial director and spokesperson, John Elliott says, “Our aim is to offer visitors new ways to experience the V&A Waterfront and the excitement of this once-in-a-lifetime event [the 2010 FIFA World Cup™] in a fun, safe and secure venue.”

With 36 air-conditioned cabins holding eight people, each trip can accommodate 288 people. The wheel will run daily from 10h00 until 22h00.

Tickets cost R70.00 and can be purchased on site.
08 Jun 2010 - 08 Dec 2010
Time: 09:00 - 17:00
Venue: Canal Site
Location: V&A Waterfront | Cape Town
Phone: +27 (0)21 408 7600
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

The closing ceremony of the 2010 Fifa World Cup™ opened with a song that has been the anthem of this World Cup, Waka Waka, it’s time for Africa, by Colombian superstar Shakira and South African band Freshlyground, which set the tone for an electric show.

Colours, lights, flags and sound were the order of the day.

South African musicians including Stoan, Zuluboy, Jozi, Slikour, Teargas, Theo Kgosinkwe, Abigail Kubeka and Zulu scathamiya group and Grammy Award-winners, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, bid the world farewell in the only manner Africans know how, with song, dance and a touch of story-telling.

From 1960s-style Sophiatown jive to hip hop and kwaito, from the gumboot dance to the bujwa dance, which originated in Soweto, South African singers and dancers set Soccer City alight for the world.

Giant, colourful projections of the world’s flags were also a highlight, as were the life-size elephant puppets that made their way around a virtual waterhole, casting beautiful long shadows behind them.

And when former South African President Nelson Mandela came onto the pitch after the ceremony, the estimated 500-million people watching on TV must have known in their hearts that Africa’s time had come!

Soccer City was a hive of activity as people prepared for the ceremony. Photo courtesy Uyanda Mbuli

Freshlyground arriving at Soccer City to perform the famous Waka Waka song with Shakira. Photo courtesy FRESHLYGROUNDsa

The flags of the world during the closing ceremony at Soccer City in Johannesburg. Photo courtesy Aki Anastasiou

Madiba made a surprise appearance, making the night even more magical. Photo courtesy Aki Anastasiou

Cape Town Tourism and Cape Town Routes Unlimited (the marketing organisation for the Western Cape) hosted a walk along the 2010 FIFA World Cup fan walk last week.

This is the route that pedestrians can take to Green Point Stadium after they have commuted to the city using public transport.

There are six points of interest along the route:

1. Africa statue
2. Waterkant Street
3. St Andrew’s Square
4. Corner of Chiappini and Somerset Roads
5. Somerset Rd
6. Gallows Hill

The fan walk starts at the Africa sculpture by Brett Murray in St George’s Mall. That’s the bronze figure decorated with yellow Bart Simpson heads!

Waterkant Street is a great example of why Cape Town is a walk-able city. The lively stalls along this section of route offer some unique and affordable Capetonian snacks. 

St Andrew’s Square has deep roots in the history of slave trading in Cape Town. The church on the square was the first church that allowed slaves to enter freely and pray. During the 2010 World Cup the square will be the staging area for post-match chill-out lounges.

The corner of Chiappini and Somerset Roads is where the fun begins. Somerset Rd is lined with many bustling nightclubs and bars – Bronx perhaps the more notorious amongst them.

Further developments on Somerset Rd will ensure that the fan walk will be an engaging experience from start to finish. It is proposed that some of the roads feeding into Somerset Rd have restricted access during the World Cup.

6. Gallows Hill is currently a nondescript parking area situated next to the Cape Town Traffic Department. For 2010, however, it will be developed into a public space.

Green Point Stadium will be the focal point of soccer in Cape Town during the FIFA World Cup.

Have you been to the Green Point Stadium Visitor Information Centre? It’s awesome! I’ll cover it in more detail in a later post, but meanwhile enjoy these pics of Cape Town Routes Unlimited and Cape Town Tourism learning the diski (soccer) dance.

Lianne Burton (Middle) doing the Diski Dance.

To see more pictures, please visit Aslam Levy’s blog by clicking here.

Bafana Bafana fans will be proud tonight that their team came so close to beating the world’s top-ranking team, and were beaten a respectable 3-2 in the end. Photo courtesy Shine2010

In arguably the best game of the Confederations Cup, Spain beat South Africa 3-2 in extra time, to take third position in the tournament.

It was a nail-biting contest at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, with South Africa reaching the back of the net first, off substitute Katlego Mphela’s boot in the 73rd minute. Spain’s Daniel Guiza came off the bench to score twice, as the second half drew to a close. Then Mphela managed a second goal in the closing moments of the half, to even the score and force the match into extra time.

Then, in the 107th minute, Xabi Alonso brought Spain’s tally up to 3-2, which South Africa’s Bafana Bafana were unable to answer to.

If you’d like to see Cristiano Ronaldo play in Cape Town, get your tickets for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ on Thursday, April 15. Photo courtesy vuhlser

Get your 2010 FIFA World Cup™ tickets from Thursday, April 15, over the counter at The Spearhead, 42 Hans Strijdom Avenue, Foreshore in the V&A Waterfront or at any FNB branch.

Cape Town will host eight matches during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, starting with France vs Uruguay at Cape Town Stadium on June 11. See here for a full list of Cape Town Stadium fixtures.

FIFA announced on Friday that there are still 500 000 tickets available for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.

Ticket selling points around the country will be open from 9h00 to 18h00 for South Africans (category one, two, three and four) and 18h00 to 22h00 for international residents (category one, two and three); the fourth category, containing the cheapest seats, is reserved for South Africans only.

Of the 2.2-million tickets sold so far, SA leads the way with 925 437 tickets, followed by the US with 118 945, UK (67 654), Germany (32 269), Australia (29 657) and Canada (16 001).