I went to a dinner party last night and there were a couple of tour guides present. The conversation revolved around the Soccer Cup somewhat. What struck me most about what they had to say was this. The visitors they met all felt that South Africa had been portrayed in a negative light prior to the Soccer Cup. The fans had come with reservations and many had decided not to come. The negative publicity was about crime and inflated prices. Their experience was nothing like they had been led to believe and they felt other people had been robbed of a chance to be part of this celebration by irresponsible journalism.
South Africans are also their own worst enemies. They seem to have Green Grass Syndrome. They have this idea that the rest of the world lives in peace and harmony and it’s only us that has problems.
The other topic last night was the road in the inner city that goes … … … nowhere. So many urban legends surround that massive bridge that stops in mid air. Some say that a cafe owner refused to budge and the bridge stopped just above his shop. Some say that the engineer was American and forgot to factor that we drive on the other side of the road. Some say the council ran out of money and one day the rest of the bridge will be built.
We do know this, that road has been going nowhere for at least 40 years.
Picture courtesy P Gillespie
