Uyaphi.com Africa Travel Newsletter

Hi First name

Greetings from an over-excited South Africa and Welcome to our Bumper Football edition of the Uyaphi Newsletter!

With extended preparations for the FIFA World Cup™, 2010 is a year that has been talked about with awed wonder in every corner of the country. Now 2010 is well underway and football fever (or soccer as it is called here) has reached fever-pitch!

World Cup availability is a hot topic of debate in boardrooms around the country and we anticipate that there may be some good deals to be had in the next few months. If you have not yet made arrangements but are still keen to experience the World Cup for yourself, speak to us in a month or two to see what our consultants can organise for you.

Cape Town recently hosted its first football (soccer) match in the newly completed Cape Town Stadium and participants talk in awe about the building and their experiences there. South Africa’s shiny new stadiums are refreshingly free from past historical baggage and the country is proudly looking forward to a new era. We eagerly await the arrival of scores of visitors to enjoy the proceedings with us.

Happy Reading!

Regards,
The Uyaphi.com Team

Regular Readers of this newsletter will already be familiar with the many corners that make South Africa the most popular African destination south of the Sahara. Twice the size of France, three times Germany, South Africa is a fascinating geographic tapestry …

South Africa is a country of world-class wildlife-watching – from the safety of a landrover, walking or elephant back safari. South Africa also boasts the world’s deepest gold mines, a thriving film industry, vast open spaces and a fascinating cultural diversity in bustling cosmopolitan cities and isolated rural villages. Try your hand at the genteel art of trout fishing, go shark cage diving or any other adventure sport imaginable.

Enjoy what Sir Francis Drake described “the fairest Cape in all the circumference of the World”. Delve into Cape Town’s city chic set against the stunning backdrop of Table Mountain. Nearby lie the vineyard-clad hillsides and Cape Dutch architecture of the famous wineland towns of Stellenbosch and Paarl.

The coastline stretches 2,500 kilometres, from quaint fishing villages on rugged outcrops to heavenly white sand beaches – the lush tropical resorts of Kwa Zulu Natal and the Wild Coast, or the Garden Route’s sublime seascapes alongside the vast emerald beauty of the Tsitsitkamma Forest stretching inland.

This incredible natural beauty provides a backdrop for the daily drama of a country grappling with poverty. From a divided past, South Africa has become one of the world’s greatest experiments in racial harmony and an inspiration to many. As illustrated in the recent box office hit Invictus, sports in South Africa has provided a perfect platform for reconciliation and the hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ is sure to be a profound experience for all its participants at home and abroad.

Uyaphi South Africa Pages

Football is known as soccer in South Africa. For decades the national soccer team was “whites-only” with other teams left to fend for themselves without proper facilities or funding. Against these odds, soccer thrived in the townships and soccer matches drew huge crowds to witness the prowess of folk heroes like Jomo Sono and Kaizer Motaung.

South African Football Association (SAFA) was founded in 1991 after the repeal of Apartheid. The standing ovation as South Africa was welcomed into the African football fold at the 1992 Confederation of African Football Congress was a proud moment, topped only by Bafana Bafana (“the Boys”) winning the African Nations Cup on home turf in 1996. Hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ is a crowning glory!

You are likely to encounter lively talk in every taxi, train or talkback radio programme about the agility and shortcomings of teams like Kaizer Chiefs (the Amakhozi) known to draw more supporters at away games than the home sides. Orlando Pirates (the Buccaneers) have been the only local winners of Africa's premier club competition, the Champions League, while Mamelodi Sundowns provide stiff competition backed by billionaire mining magnate Patrice Motsepe. The clashes between these greats are always momentous occasions accompanied by the baying of vuvuzelas.

The Premier Soccer League (PSL) draws together South Africa’s best soccer clubs. Formed in 1997 the PSL has taken the game to a new level, drawing media coverage and sponsorship deals that allow local players to make a name for themselves. The abounding talent is evident in the numbers who have taken up lucrative contracts with foreign clubs.

Vuvuzela Trivia

The tradition of blowing a horn at soccer matches stems from African folklore: that "a baboon is killed by a lot of noise". The vuvuzela sounds like the baying of an elephant. In the last quarter of a game the vuvuzela horns are blown furiously to “attack” the opposing team. The original horn was a lepatata, made from the horn of an antelope, traditionally blown by Setswana men in an old musical tradition known as a dikoma. The vuvuzela horn was adapted for soccer matches, originally made out of tin but now more commonly plastic.

The vuvuzela is often accessorised with a brightly decorated helmet worn by die-hard soccer fans. The helmets were first adapted in the 1970s from miner’s hard hats (hence their name “makarapa” which referred to the foreign migrant workers on the county’s gold mines). The helmets were originally worn to protect soccer fans from missiles thrown from the stands above and helmet owners vied to outdo each other with the elaborate decorations festooning their hats.

Uyaphi and the 2010 FIFA World Cup™

It has been 3 years since the tragic death of David Rattray, world-renowned public speaker who devoted much of his life to the study of the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879 and the history of the Zulu nation. His annual lecture series at the Royal Geographic Society was always sold out.

David Rattray and wife Nicky started the Fugitives Drift Lodge and Guesthouse on a spectacular site overlooking Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift, both battlefields in the Anglo-Zulu War. David would lead guests to the scene of the Battle of Isandlwana, where the prowess of the Zulu warriors won them a great victory over the British. It was a British victory at Rorke's Drift where 139 British soldiers held out against 4,000 Zulu warriors garnering more Victoria Crosses than any other battle in history.

Fugitives Drift is a remarkable location, lying within a 5,000 acre game reserve teeming with wildlife. It is a Natural Heritage Site where David and Nicky Rattray pioneered Heritage Tourism in South Africa. Close associations with families of the area make for a fascinating perspective on its great history.

Since David’s death, Nicky has taken the reins to maintain the high standards offered at the Lodge for 19 years. Guests enjoy the walking trails or go game viewing by horse. The birdlife and fishing opportunities are abundant along the property’s 20 kilometre frontage on the Buffalo River, while the pools and rapids make for a refreshing dip. Rob Caskie leads a team of accomplished guides who continue to tell David’s battle stories, and Rob fulfils the overseas lecture obligations.

Nicky Rattray also oversees the work of the David Rattray Foundation, established in David’s memory to continue his work supporting the local communities. The central theme of David’s lectures was reconciliation and the Foundation strives to uphold these ideals. Son, Peter Rattray, is also active in supporting the work of the Foundation whose patron is the Prince of Wales.

Recently, a new species of millipede was discovered by Michelle Hamer in the Nkandla Forest, just south of Fugitives' Drift. It has been named Doratogonus Rattrayi in honour of David Rattray.

Fugitives Drift Lodge
Fugitives Drift Guesthouse

With all this talk of World Cup Fever we've asked our consultants for their take on the upcoming events. These are the people in the trenches, finding great deals for all the football fans out there.

Suzaan Nel - “A month of total bliss! A carnival atmosphere across the country, plus enormous financial benefits with all the millions of Soccer fans visiting our country. I'm extremely excited about one of the greatest sporting events taking place for the first time on South African soil!”

Nerissa Lategan - “Not only do we have an excellent hospitality industry to accommodate all guests and soccer fanatics but good infrastructure and lovely weather to top it off, even in Winter. One automatically thinks about just the Soccer World Cup yet we are all about the pre and post World Cup too. South Africa is an "all-year-round destination" and we can help with anything from day tours, hotel or lodge accommodation as well as great safari experiences.”

Yvonne Zulu Sibanda - “Yipppeee. Finally, the world's looking at Africa in a positive aspect. Being in a country that has so much History and for reasons one wouldn't shout from the rooftops, this is a chance for a change. And it's happening already. In less than a year the transformation that has taken place in the country is WOW…The sky's the limit!!!”

William Rose - “From all over the world, football enthusiasts will be flocking to our shores, united in their common love for the game and here to support their home teams, while at the same time doing a pilgrimage to the Great Land of the South. And after the Game the most spectacular adventure of true African Safaris beckon.”

Ryan Charles - “This is a proud affair for the continent, especially South Africa. South Africa will definitely host a great event as is evident from previous sport competitions held here. The only difference is, Football has triple the amount of supporters which means triple more revenue for the country. In closing, I only support one team "Glory Glory England"!”

Charl Grobler - “Finally its Africa's turn to shine and take centre stage. South Africa as hosts will offer so much more than soccer ... how about a morning game drive followed by Brazil vs England? Or 97,000 soccer fans blowing their vuvuzela's in the new Soccer City Stadium? Visitors and soccer fans are in for a treat.”

Nicky Searle - “Ask most, the vuvuzela, a metre long, brightly coloured, plastic instrument, sounds quite similar to that of an air-horn! But having just acquired one myself I realized it’s not all that easy and actually requires a bit of skill, not to mention lung capacity! There is Cape Town-based musician who has launched a vuvuzela orchestra – he believes when tuned correctly, the vuvuzela can play in an orchestra as easily as a flute, violin or cello!!”

DESTINATION SOUTH AFRICA

SOCCER IN SOUTH AFRICA

FUGITIVES DRIFT - LIFE AFTER DAVID RATTRAY

UYAPHI NEWS: CONSULTANTS TALK 2010

Featured Newsletter Specials


ABOUT UYAPHI.COM • CONTACT US • DESTINATIONS • SAFARIS • ACCOMMODATION • SPECIALS • WHAT’S NEW