The City and its partners are going all out to boost excitement around the 2010 World Cup, with a family fun day in Klipspruit adding to the buzz.

SOWETO is ready for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ and all that is left is for the first visitors to come and experience the hospitality of the township.

Getting into the football spirit

The event, a provincial government effort to ratchet up football fever, was attended by Mokonyane; Bafana Sithole, the City's member of the mayoral committee for community development; and the Gauteng MEC for sport, arts, culture and recreation, Nelisiwe Mbatha-Mthimkhulu.

Welcoming people - who included a whole spectrum of the community of Soweto and other areas in Gauteng - Sithole said everyone, both young and old, should be involved in promoting the World Cup. "It is pleasing to see so many young people here today. This shows the huge interest that the World Cup has generated in our people," he added.

Mokonyane said part of what the City and the provincial government were doing at Hyundai Park on the day was showcasing that 2010 started here in Gauteng.

"Here in Gauteng we have the largest airport in the country that will be used by most visitors, we will host the opening and closing ceremonies and the final match ... Thus, we must be the first to be excited about the World Cup."

As early as 10am, the park was awash with young and old, all dressed in white T-shirts emblazoned with the words 2010 GP. A few people had brought camping chairs and picnic baskets, and were sitting watching the activity around them.

Sporting action
The sporty types were having a field day, with loads of sporting activities on the go. There was netball, volleyball, tug-of-war, football and a host of indigenous like morabaraba and jukskei.

On the eastern side of the field, a section was dedicated to young children. Here, the area was a splash of colour with giant and mini water slides, jumping castles, obstacle jumping castles and boxing rings. Clowns on stilts walked around entertaining the children and blowing them balloons. In one corner, a line of children waiting to have their faces painted stretched for a few metres.

Between football games, the pitch was taken over by diski dancers who taught the popular 2010 World Cup dance to scores of eager learners. On the main stage, the crowds were kept entertained by DJ Prince who belted out the latest house music. The Ipelegeng Drum Troupe, pantsula dancers and the drama group, Sibikwa, also made sure the event was one that many people won't forget.

Mokonyane, also wearing one of the white shirts, said each region in the province would have a public viewing area, with an atmosphere similar to that of Sunday's fun day.

Public viewing
"We will have one such area at Freedom Square in Johannesburg where people will have braais and watch football games during the World Cup. These areas are for those who won't be able to enter stadiums," she said.

These public viewing areas would ensure that everyone was part of the football spectacle. Women who usually sold food outside stadiums during local football matches would not be allowed to do so at World Cup venues, Mokonyane said, as the tournament belonged to FIFA.

"That is why we created these public viewing areas where people can sell whatever they want to sell to football fans." And because of the success of the 2010 Gateway Family Fun Day, the City and province were mooting the idea of using Hyundai Park as a public viewing area.

"We know that people from overseas don't only want to go to stadiums to watch games, but will visit the townships as well. They want to be here to have fun with us."

Dressed in a water-soaked T-shirt that reached down to her ankles, seven-year-old Musa Ndlovu from Pimville said she had enjoyed herself tremendously at the water slides. "I hope they bring the water slides during the World Cup," she said, scampering off for another ride.

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