It is appropriate that South Africa is the first country in Africa to host the Fifa Soccer World Cup. We wish them every success in this important venture. South Africa shoulders an enormous responsibility to prove to the international community that Africa is indeed capable of hosting such world events.
That this World Cup will be different from any others in the past is in no doubt. For starters, there will be the vuvuzelas. To the uninitiated, these will seem unbearably noisy and intrusive. What they will do the concentration of the visiting teams, and the eardrums of the visiting fans, particularly those from Europe, remains to be seen.
But to the rest of us, the pandemonium will add to the excitement of the challenge, it will get the blood pumping and the adrenalin flowing among the already exuberant fans.
In Africa, soccer is not just a game. It is an extravaganza a celebration of life, full of noise, colour and energy, both on and off the pitch.
We really hope that this soccer jamboree will do even more for South Africa than the Rugby World Cup did shortly after our neighbour rejoined the family of nations a decade ago, leaving behind its troubled and divided past.
A word of caution to visitors and residents alike. Although the police have been deployed in large numbers throughout the country to prevent criminals taking advantage of the influx of tourists, as they do anywhere in the world, vigilance is vital.
South Africa only recently emerged as a nation from decades of vicious oppression, characterised by inhuman violence. This has left many traumatised. Even with the best will in the world, such a legacy of violence cannot be eradicated easily or quickly.
We join the eloquent Sepp Blatter in wishing Africa much joy and pride during and after this 2010 sporting bonanza.
Post published in: Editor: Wilf Mbanga