Dear Tata Mandela,

Today is your special day.  Mine was a week ago.  Please have a lekker day and don’t let the fact that the whole world wants to be in on it, deter you from having a wonderful day with Graca and your family.

We wish you love, health, peace and lots of rest.

Mike, Priscilla, Micaela and Ethan Jansen

Hung Hom Bay

Hong Kong

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela cartoon by Zapiro

PS. We asked The Arch to say something special on your birthday:

It is a fact that the 2010 World Cup has brought South Africa a huge amount of marketing exposure.

While there were so many doubting Thomases before the kick-off of the world’s biggest sports event (both locally and abroad), most people are now more than convinced that South Africa has indeed managed to pull it off with aplomb.

Brand South Africa has never in the history of the new South Africa encountered this amount of exposure in all the corners of the world…

…except in Chicago.

What wrong with this picture? (Cheers to SA Promo Magazine on FaceBook for the pic)

Eish!  What more is there to say?  One would think that with the might of the American media machine behind them, WGN would get this right.

WGN9 is a television channel in the US city of Chicago.  We wanted to link to their website, but the bumbling idiots do not deserve it.

Forgive them, they live on an island…

Then of course, there is the report from Rugby15.co.za on Facebook telling of the New Zealand reporter asking the Springbok media manager (with a straight face nogal) what “TRIBE” Springbok fullback Gio Aplon is from.  Needless to say, the Bok media man could not keep a straight face and could not stop laughing.

In this day and age.

Fooi tog!

Former BlitzBok & Springbok fullback Gio Aplon faces the Kiwi media in Auckland. (Pic: Gallo Images)

At the recent Opening Ceremony Party for the 2010 World Cup at the Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC) in Hong Kong’s Central district, I was taken to task for featuring “so much rugby” here on Howzit-HongKong.com.  Well, the same person who had this (non) issue will probably have the same complaint about the amount of soccer coverage we have here.

I have only one response:

Soooooorrrrrieeee! That’s your problem, not ours.

Just Feel it… it is Here!

As a South African stuck on this side of the noodle-curtain while the World Cup is happening back home, I am tuned into the South African radio stations TWENTY-FOUR-SEVEN to hear the latest from the World Cup and have a look at their FaceBook Pages for the latest pictures and videos.

One of the stations I don’t miss is 567 Cape Talk, my favourite show being the Time Out Taxi with Soli Philander.

While listening to our Soli on his show tonight, he read out an article from the Huffington Post.  I read the Huffington Post regularly but for some reason I missed this particular story.  (It happens when your live a large part of your life online and read lots of papers on the net!)

This particular story struck a chord with me (as it did with Soli) because it sounded so real and sincere coming from the Huffington Post.  It also encapsulates perfectly what I try to tell the local Chinese whenever they ask me about our beautiful country.

Please join me in celebrating Shari Cohen‘s take on our country’s Ubuntu spirit through an American’s eyes:

I went on a rant the other day regarding the cost of the 2010 World Cup versus all the critical needs South Africa is facing and whether or not the most vulnerable of this country would gain anything from having the World Cup hosted in their country. At that time, I also had some very positive things to say about our hosts for the 2010 World Cup and I wanted to share that side of the coin as well, because it is equally important.

To say that I have been blown away at the hospitality South Africa has shown the rest of the world would be an understatement. I think back on recent Olympics and struggle to remember much reporting in the USA of athletes from other countries. I remember when a Togolese guy won a bronze medal in kayaking and NBC reported it and I thought to myself, “where are all the other fascinating stories like this one…like the Jamaican bobsledding team.” In today’s America, sadly, we have drifted so far towards being so US-centric that we only seem to root for the Americans.

Not so here in South Africa. I’ve been here since early May and each week I have become more and more impressed with the global embrace that South Africans have offered up to the world. On the way to the airport a couple of weeks ago, I heard a radio program that said each day they would focus on one country that would be coming to South Africa for the World Cup, and they would explore not only that sport’s history in soccer, but also their politics, religion, and socio-cultural practices. On the television, I’ve seen numerous programs that focus on a particular country and it’s history of soccer and how the history of that country is intertwined with their soccer history. I’ve seen programs on India, exploring why India enjoys soccer but hasn’t really excelled at the global level… yet. And I’ve seen shows on soccer in Muslim countries. Maybe it’s planned, maybe it’s unplanned, maybe it’s by chance, but it is happening. It’s not just about South Africans showing off their varied and multifaceted culture to their global guests, it’s also about using this opportunity to educate South Africa on the rest of Planet Earth’s inhabitants.

As I moved through my work here in the provinces over the last six weeks, I had a pivotal meeting with the Board members of a rural NGO. They were explaining their guiding program philosophy of Ubuntu. No, not the Linux program. I’m talking about the traditional African philosophy of Ubuntu that essentially says, “No man is an island.”

I found a better explanation from Wikipedia:

Archbishop Desmond Tutu further explained Ubuntu in 2008:

One of the sayings in our country is Ubuntu – the essence of being human. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can’t exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can’t be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality — Ubuntu — you are known for your generosity.

We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole world. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity.

To me, Ubuntu is the acceptance of others as parts of the sum total of each of us. And that is exactly what I have experienced during the lead up to, and the initial days of this World Cup. There is nary a South African citizen that I’ve met on the street, or in shops or restaurants or hotels, that hasn’t gone out of their way to greet me and make me feel like I am home. And I don’t mean that in the trivial, “Oh, aren’t they nice, homey people here… ” sort of way. I mean real, genuine interest and questions. People seriously want to know where I come from. What it’s like where I live. How does it compare to where I am now. What do I think of South Africa. Oh yes, and what do I think of Bafana Bafana… The questions and conversations are in earnest. They are honest. And they are had with enthusiasm and a thirst to know more. South Africans are drinking deeply from the cup of humanity that has been brought to their doorstep. I would never imagine that an American World Cup or Olympics would ever be this welcoming to the rest of the world. And that saddens me for the state of my home country, but it also makes me feel the pride of the South African people.

I have been truly humbled on this trip. And while I have my gripes regarding development here, I cannot say one negative thing about how South Africa has handled its duties as host and hostess to the world. If I could say one thing to sum up being here during this once-in-a-lifetime experience, it would be that I’ve learned the value of Ubuntu, and that when found and offered in abundance, the world is indeed a better place to live in.

So, if South Africa accomplishes nothing more on the playing field, it will still have won as a host country. I am a cynic, no doubt about that. And yet I have to admit, I’m a little teary just writing this because I leave for home next weekend and I will be leaving a little piece of myself here in South Africa. I just hope I have learned enough to bring back a little piece of Ubuntu to my homeland, where perhaps with a little caring and a little water, it will take root as naturally as it does here, in the cradle of civilization. It’s funny, many people in America still ask me, “are the people in Africa very primitive?” Yes, I know, amazing someone could ask that but they do. And when they do, I usually explain that living in a mud hut does not make one primitive, however, allowing kids to sell drugs to other kids and engage in drive-by killings — isn’t that primitive behavior? I think it is. When I think of Ubuntu and my recent experiences here, I think America has much to learn from Africa in general, in terms of living as a larger village; and as human beings who are all interconnected with each other, each of us having an affect on our brothers and sisters.

As the 2010 Cup slogan goes, “Feel it. It is here.” Well, I have felt it, because I am here. Thank you South Africa, for giving me this unexpected gift. I am humbled.

You can find this story here

Listen to Soli Philander (7-9pm SA time) on 567 Cape Talk here

Soli has some video clip about the World Cup here

If you’ve ever been in a hurry traveling to or from the Chek Lap Kok Airport here in Hong Kong, no doubt you would have taken the Airport Express.  South Africa now also has a similar train system.

In preparation, but not exclusively for the 2010 World Cup, Johannesburg’s GauTrain resumed operation today.

Fin24.com reported on it as follows:

Gautrain, the multi-billion rand rapid rail service, opened its doors for the first time ever to the public on Tuesday.  The commercial operation starts three days before the World Cup kicks off and it follows shortly after the official launch of Gautrain on Saturday.  People can now buy tickets and travel on Gautrain the same way they would on any Metrorail train.

Barbara Jensen, spokesperson for Gautrain Management Agency, said on Tuesday there was “huge excitement” this morning.  The agency belongs to the Gauteng province and is overseeing the construction of the multibillion rand passenger rail project.  Jensen said motorists were parking at the parking bays, getting ready to board the train.  There were queues at the ticket vending machines, she said.  It was too early to provide accurate statistics on how many tickets had been sold, the spokesperson said.

The first Gautrain commercial train departed from Sandton to OR Tambo International Airport at 5:24. The first one leaving OR Tambo left at 5:30.

The Sandton-OR Tambo rail link is crucial for Johannesburg, which will host both the opening and closing ceremonies of the World Cup, running from June 11 to July 11.  This link also forms part of phase one of the Gautrain project.

The start of commercial operation on Tuesday comes after Gautrain was officially launched on Saturday.  Other stations that are commercially operational are Rhodesfield and Marlboro stations.  The construction on the route from Sandton to Johannesburg Park Station is ongoing.  A trip from OR Tambo to Sandton will cost R100 in either direction.  There are other ticket fares applicable to trips between stations.  A single trip from Sandton to Marlboro will cost R16.50, from Sandton to Rhodesfield R21.00; and from Marlboro to Rhodesfield R18.50.  An integrated single train plus single bus trips will cost R22.50 from Sandton to Marlboro, R27.00 from Sandton to Rhodesfield; and R24.50 from Marlboro to Rhodesfield.  Parking at any station will cost R9.50 for the first 24 hours.

The agency said commuters would access all services by means of a contactless smart card – the Gautrain Gold Card, which allows seamless transfer between Gautrain’s train, bus and parking services.

Jensen said tickets were sold through vending machines and ticket operators (over the counter).

This is how our friends over at Zoopy.com reported on the GauTrain:

With the 2010 Soccer World Cup just days away, visitors and television viewers will soon be gobsmacked at the scale and beauty of South Africa’s brand-new stadiums.

However, in a quiet (albeit only on non-match days) corner in the shadows of Table Mountain, stands what for me, is the Grande Dame of sports stadiums in the country: Newlands Rugby Stadium.  The country’s oldest stadium has always been a must-visit for me on every occasion that I visit home.  My annual trip to Cape Town often coincides with the Tri-Nations or Currie Cup tournaments so I always get to watch a Stormers or Western Province fixture.  I recently came across a great online feature that allows one to view all 360 degrees of the inside of Newlands stadium, on a match-day nogal!  At the risk of sounding like a gushing teenager…It was just too cool not to share.

Click here to open the 360 degrees viewer in a new window

I remember writing elsewhere on this blog that “I can probably write a book” about the kinds of negative African stereotypes I’ve encountered while living in China.  Once again, I’m not going to, at least not on this blog-post.  I will however, tell you about one incident that happened to My Missus while we were living in Taiwan a few years ago.

My Missus, a teacher at an international school in Northern Taiwan, was called to the office urgently.  Upon arriving there, she noticed a black person in conversation with a senior teacher.  The teacher excused herself from the conversation and hurried over to My Missus.  Excitedly, she told her that the person she is interviewing is “also from Africa” and that she would like My Missus to come and “speak African” to him!

We still laugh whenever we tell that story!

With the 2010 World Cup upon us, many thousands of visitors will flock to the South African shores with similar (more daft?) stereotypes.  And who else but South African fast-food chain Nando’s to use it in their ad-campaign:

Only for ama-visitors!

(Cheers Jonathan Cherry)

While working for the Cape Town sports department a few years ago, I spent 6 years working in, amongst others, some really impoverished Cape Flats communities.  The Cape Flats was once a large, windswept, sandy stretch of land bordering Cape Town’s False Bay where the then-Apartheid government forcibly removed non-white residents to.  As the story below says, the Cape Flats has since been transformed into a vibrant, colorful community with it’s own unique character.

I was very chuffed when I came across the following story about two local entrepreneurs who started a venture that aims to fulfill a need related to the upcoming 2010 Soccer World Cup: cheap, affordable accommodation.  So much so that I wanted to share it with you here.  When you visit Cape Town next time, even after the World Cup has come and gone, do look them up and get a slice of the Cape Flats culture.  You will be very impressed.

Backpacking the Cape Flats

Source: 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Organising Committee

Due to high levels of poverty, the Cape Flats have traditionally fallen outside Cape Town’s tourism radar. Hylton Mitchell and business partner Gerome Hofmeester have challenged perceptions with the launch of the first backpackers in the area.  The Blue Flag Backpackers opened its doors in the Cape Flats community of Steenberg in February 2010, with Cape Town Mayor Dan Plato cutting the ribbon.

According to Mitchell, the Cape Flats offers its visitors warmth, hospitality and more.  “Myself and Gerome have always been talking about making the Cape Flats more accessible to tourists,” he says. “We know the Cape Flats as a vibrant, diverse set of people and neighbourhoods, full of creative and funny characters.”

A large, flat expanse of land south-east of Cape Town’s central business district, the Cape Flats was used during South Africa’s apartheid era for the removal of black and coloured people from the more central urban areas.

Mitchell and Hofmeester, co-owners of Blue Flag Tours, opened their backpackers in time to help host the thousands of fans who will be arriving in South Africa for the 2010 Fifa World Cup, and already their accommodation is full for the duration of the tournament.  “The 2010 Fifa World Cup has placed South Africa on the international stage, and it has given young entrepreneurs like ourselves the confidence to take a step,” says Mitchell. “We believe small and medium entrepreneurs are vital in unlocking the potential of this event.”

Mitchell’s long-term plan is to help place the Cape Flats on the tourism map. “We want to take tourists to the famous cultural spots and develop specific tourist products that are unique to the Cape Flats, like the Minstrel Celebration that takes place each year.”

The entrepreneurs also aim to ensure that Blue Flag establishments benefit local communities. Through training and employment, the Bue Flag Backpackers will enable a number of community members to get involved in growing tourism in the area.  “We have formed close links with the community and want to offer internships and apprenticeships for young people in the area,” says Mitchell.  “In the street where the backpacker is operating we’ve employed ladies to clean and prepare food for some of our guests. We see it as an opportunity for the community to come and sell their arts and craft to tourists and get to meet people from other parts of the world as part of our cultural exchange experience.”

As a young boy I grew up virtually on the beach.  My home was 5 minutes walk from the white sands of Strand (near Cape Town) and I used every opportunity to be in the water. 

Unfortunately, because of South Africa’s apartheid laws, I was restricted to the “non-white side” of the beach. 

The bad old days…

The Strand municipality had erected a series of red and white concrete poles that stretched from the sandy beach, onto a rocky outcrop about 100 meters into the waters of False Bay.  Fortunately for us the red and white pole that jutted out from the rock was also where our favourite swimming spot was and during high tide indicated it clearly.  We called this spot “ENO” named after the bubbles that formed when we dived into the water.

On 2 February 1990, in a groundbreaking speech to Parliament, President FW De Klerk announced the unbanning of the African National Congress (ANC) and the imminent release of Nelson Mandela.  With this he formally ended the State’s apartheid laws. 

Nine days later, on Sunday 11 February 1990 Nelson Mandela walked through the gates of the Victor Verster Prison… a free man after 27 years.  I was amongst the masses who gathered in Cape Town when he uttered his first words from the balcony of the Cape Town City Hall.

South Africans celebrated our first democratic elections on 27 April 1994.

Today my children can swim anywhere they like.

However, the reality in South Africa today is far from the  simplistic scenario I sketched above and, even after 16 years, a lot needs to be done to make South Africa a truely ‘free’ country.  I nevertheless wish you:

Happy Freedom Day.

Aluta Continua *

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Rural South Africans wait to cast their vote in the first-ever democratic elections

Freedom Day commemorates the first democratic elections held in South Africa on 27 April 1994.

It is celebrated annually as a reminder of the struggle for a free and just South Africa culminating in the first democratic elections held in 1994 where South Africans of every walk of life participated in the making of our new country.

* Aluta Continua or “the struggle continues” is the name of a song we sang at university during apartheid.

After typing up the story above, I found this video posted by our friends over at Zoopy.com: 

You know you get around a wee bit when you walk into a restaurant and the staff pours your regular tipple without you even ordering.  This is my regular experience when I visit Bulldog’s in Tsim Sha Tsui East.  (It’s near my apartment and I’ll stick to that excuse.)

In this case the tipple of my choice happens to be Kanonkop’s Pinotage.  If you ever visit Hong Kong, go around to Bulldog’s and listen to how they pronounce “Kanonkop.”  You’re bound to recognise a little bit of Cape Town accent there.

I’m proud to say that I am responsible for that.

Our friends over Zoopy.com recently posted this short video (below) about 3 prominent Western Cape wineyards.  Incidentally, they are all within an hour’s drive of my Cape Town home.

Please enjoy this introduction to Simonsig, Rustenberg and of course, Kanonkop.

Kanonkop’s signature canon (Pic: Lorraine R, Flickr)

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The 2010 FIFA World Cup is but mere days away but alas, Howzit-HongKong.com can confirm that we will miss out on Afrika’s grandest gathering. 

That said, we will continue to do what we do best, get YOU to go and experience the warmth and love that only our homeland can give. 

HongKongers LOVE football, however you have to experience the heart and soul of the sport; that there is more to the game than just to win or lose a fistfull of dollars at your nearest HK Jockey Club outlet.

Go to Afrika in June 2010.  You will find it there.

Every great event needs a good soundtrack. Come June 2010, when we sit in front of our tv screen here in Hong Kong, sipping our Nederburg Twenty10 Cabernet Sauvignon to balance out the sweetness of our favourite char siu bao, all the time watching the world visiting South Africa, this will be our soundtrack to the 2010 FIFA World Cup!

Welcome to my home and…

Feel Afrika.

Mike Jansen

“We came, We saw, We tried!” Cheers Akon for the Video: Oh Africa

Nederburg’s Twenty10 range is available at your nearest Park ‘n Shop.

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