U-Sector – The Original Toronto FC Supporters Group

The World Descends on South Africa

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Today I ventured to the top of Cape Town’s iconic Table Monutain.

If you’re unfamiliar with it, Table Mountain is one of the most distinctive landmarks anywhjere in the world. Flanked by two tradititonal peaks, it sports a broad, flat top that makes its name obvious. When clouds roll over it, the locals refer to the phenomenon as the Table Cloth.

Naturally, Table Mountain is a tourist mecca, the centrepiece of a national park that can be accessed by car, foot, or – best of all – cable car. Once up top, there are hundreds of square kilometers to explore, each nook and cranny different from the others.

On a normal day, there would be a steady stream of locals and foreigners alike journeying up to Table Mountain’s summit, and most would be dressed in what would be considered to be “normal” clothing.

The day before the World Cup kicks off, however, it becomes very obvious who hails from where. The locals, including those working in the park, all sport Bafana Bafana’s gold and green (Table Mountain’s regular staff uniforms have been temporarily replaced). The rest, including myself today, sport the colours of their home nation.

The French and Uruguayans are here in abdundance, as are Australians, Americans, English, Argentineans, Mexicans, and so on. Every one of the 32 competing countries had at least one representative on the mountain top today.

I even met an Irish guy in a Uruguay jersey. You can all guess his reasoning for adopting the South American nation as his own ahead of Uruguay’s opener again France here in Cape Town tomorrow.

Three thousand feet below, the sounds of the World Cup are as clear as the brilliant South African day. The vuvuzelas can be easily heard interspersed with traditional African drum beats and car horns, as Capetonians congregate in the streets for yet another impromptu midday celebration.

The party is just beginning. Let the games begin!

Posted by Rudi Schuller