Cape Town‘s Integrated Rapid Transport Strategy has hit another snag ahead of the World Cup next year:
Fare dodgers.
Apparently this guy got on without paying a cent.
Fortunately, the police were quickly on the scene to arrest him.
This one has been doing the rounds here for the past couple of days, but I think it’s only fair to share it with my overseas readers as well. As we say here in Africa: Only in Africa!
(As Snow Patrol once told us.)
They were testing the lights at the Green Point Cape Town Stadium last night.
Flickr user donaldza was there to catch it. Thanks, donaldza.
Bigger version here.
Truly magnificent.
EDIT: Just been sent these by email. Arguably even more magnificenterer.
(That may not actually be a word.)
Bigger versions here and here are completely breathtaking.
There was no indication on the email as to who took these, so if they’re yours, please get in touch and I will happily credit you. Very happily.
They are from Bruce Sutherland (I did have a feeling they might be).
He also gave us this, remember? [thanks ctguy]
With almost all the teams now confirmed for next year’s FIFA World Cup, excitement is beginning to mount and people are suddenly realising the need to start making plans. Flights are getting booked up, rental car agencies are running short of rental cars and flag sales are up to their highest levels since before the world flag crisis of 2003.
Of course, your most immediate requirement as a visitor to South Africa is somewhere to stay. And if you’re looking for a decent place to rent, you’re obviously (obviously) going to head to SA’s premier property group: Pam Golding Properties.
PGP have a specialised 2010 rental department and they have released a portfolio of some of the Cape Town properties that they have on their books for next year’s tournament. In addition, if you’re in Cape Town, you can rent out your property. Just make sure it fits the bill.
These properties have been carefully selected for their outstanding locations and superlative features, all promise first class accommodation with all the added extras.
Check out that first one. Fresnaye. R30,000 per day. Per. Day.
Even with the Rand doing extraordinarily well at the moment, that’s still $4,000 or £2,500 per day. Don’t even ask how much that is if you plan to stay for the whole 31 days (although you can work it out using mental arithmetic or a simple calculator)*.
But if you are staying the whole month, then you might be able to get in a harvest from the private vineyard it boasts, make some wine and offset a bit of the cost.
Of course, you don’t have to spend all that money. Last time around in Germany 2006, loads of people camped out. But then, during Germany 2006, it was summer. Good luck with finding your tent after we get a traditional Cape cold front coming through.
Start looking halfway to Antarctica.
* If you arrive the day before the first match and leave the day after the final, that’ll be a cool R1,000,000 please.
Since I was passing the Cape Town Stadium and – for once on this rather gloomy Cape Town day – it wasn’t raining, I decided to snap a couple of pictures to track the progress on this architectural masterpiece, which doesn’t look anything like a Polo mint.
Although all the tower cranes have now come down, there’s evidently still some work being done on the roof, mainly by a solitary guy in an orange hi-vis jacket with a large Johnson.
Now that might not look all that impressive, but when you step back (or rather zoom out) and see the bigger picture:
Well, rather him than me.
You can see more pictures of Green Point Stadium in my Green Point Stadium set on Flickr.
In a symbolic moment, the last tower crane at Cape Town’s Cape Town Stadium in Green Point was dismantled yesterday. The plethora of tower cranes have become a feature on the Green Point skyline over the last couple of years.
The handover date for the stadium is just 10 weeks, and while there’s still work to be done, evidently none of it requires lifting heavy things anywhere high.
This stunning photo from Terry February, taken as the sun – and the crane – came down, sums things up nicely.
The end of an era. Albeit, only a 2½ year era. Which is pretty short as eras go.
FIFA 2010 World Cup match schedule | Green Point Stadium Webcams | Cape Town Tourism 2010 site