Cape Town Catches World Cup Fever, Finally

Flags from 32 different countries flapped in the wind on Long Street as the sun came up Thursday morning, finally shining over Table Mountain to the left and the Atlantic Ocean to the right. The past week two things have been missing: the sun and the World Cup fever I was expecting to encounter when I first arrived in Cape Town on Saturday night.

I was ready to have some Vitamin D deficiency, as South Africa is entering its winter season. But the lack of fever? I was definitely not expecting that.

In June of 2005, I was in Tehran when the Iranian national soccer team won the qualifying game that would send them to the World Cup the next summer. Every single highway was clogged with parked cars and people bumping music and dancing on their roofs, trunks ... anywhere people normally would not be standing. And this was just a qualifying game. For South Africa, the host of THE 2010 FIFA World Cup, I had higher expectations.

Don't get me wrong, the city definitely has already laid the foundation for complete fan fervor. The last time I saw as many countries' flags represented in one place was in the Atlanta farmer's market when I was younger and used to try to memorize what flag was from what country. Today I realized those shopping trips paid off as I can now successfully pin point what fan is from where based on the flag draped on their back as a cape. The side mirrors on every other car is dressed in South African flag covers. I've even spotted some Portuguese ones as well, in addition to Cristiano's Ronaldo's face virtually everywhere, which I'm sure most girls don't mind.

What has been lacking, however, has been the vibe. The anticipating excitement, that feeling that the storm is coming when a big sporting event is headed to town, just wasn't in Cape Town ... until Wednesday when it started to make an appearance with a noon vuvuzela fest commencing all over town.

But on Thursday, the day before the official kick-off of the World Cup, the fever completely blanketed the city of Cape Town. Fans took to the street with all kinds of gear to show who they were rooting for. Flags, masks, wigs, horns, hats, face paint -- you name it, I saw it. Think Mardi Gras minus the nudity -- plus 31 other countries represented on the streets.

But what took Cape Town so long to join the anticipation that has grasped the rest of the world for the past month? Bernice Peters, 37, owner of local hair salon “Five on Main” in Sea Point, says World Cup fever has taken its time making its way to Cape Town because rugby is more popular in the city than soccer -- surprising for the city hosting eight games in the Cup, the second most after Johannesburg.

Even though the fever has officially heated things up in the "Mother City," some attribute it's presence to the influx of tourists that arrived in Cape Town over the past few days.

Evan Marcus, 27, a Canadian lawyer working for Legal Resources Center in Cape Town for the past four months says, “there hasn’t been much of a vibe in the past few months.”

He believes part of this reason may be because the majority of South Africans do not have much hope of the World Cup bringing in enough revenue that will help them. The amount of money that was put into building the Green Point soccer stadium, which could have been put toward the impoverished township, is also a source of soreness toward the games, Marcus says.

But when I visited Khayelitsha, an impoverished township outside Cape Town, the vibe and excitement for the games was everywhere. Kids were playing soccer on the side of the highways, in the dirt fields outside their shacks, in the streets ... literally everywhere.

Sibusiso Matshabane, 27, a disc jockey, said he was “proud” to have the World Cup in his home country. To prepare for the games, he’s been talking about the Cup and playing soccer. He grew up with soccer, as did most of the black South Africans. I watched the movie “Invictus” on my 20-hour flight over to South Africa, and in the past few days I have seen how adequately the movie depicted life here.

Overall, the energy in Cape Town is electric right now, with the official song of the World Cup, "Waka Waka" by Shakira playing in the streets. Friday, when France and Uruguay kick off in the home opener at Green Point stadium, the rest of the world will feel that electricity through their television sets, computers, and cell phones.

For now, Bafana Bafana!

Suzanne Kianpour is a soccer fan and desk assistant at NBC News in Washington, D.C. She'll be filing reports from South Africa throughout the tournament.
 

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