We have listed the top 10 attractions in Cape Town, however there are many more. From open top bus rides to diving with Sharks…Cape Town offers something for everyone!

1. Table Mountain:
Take in some of the most amazing views of Cape Town from Table Mountain – the city’s most famous icon.
website: www.tablemountain.net


2. Robben Island:
Explore Robben Island and its museum dedicated to the time spent by Nelson Mandela after his arrest.
website: www.robben-island.org.za




3. Victoria and Albert Waterfront:
The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in the historic heart of Cape Town’s working harbour is South Africa’s most-visited destination. Set against a backdrop of magnificent sea and mountain views, exciting shopping and entertainment venues are intermingled with imaginative office locations, world-class hotels and luxury apartments in the residential marina.
website: www.waterfront.co.za


4. Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden is world-renowned for the beauty and diversity of the Cape flora it displays and for the magnificence of its setting against the eastern slopes of Table Mountain.
website: www.sanbi.org/frames/kirstfram.htm








5. Boulders Penguin Colony
Boulders Beach in Simonstown is home to a growing colony of the vulnerable African Penguin.
website: www.sanparks.org/parks/table_mountain/tourism/attractions.php




6. Cape Point
At the tip of the Cape Peninsula you will find Cape Point within the Table Mountain National Park which is noted for its floral diversity and spectacular coastline.
website: www.capepoint.co.za


7. Two Oceans Aquarium
The Two Oceans Aquarium showcases life from the mighty Indian and Atlantic Oceans. Over 3,000 living animals can be seen in this marine kaleidoscope.
website: http://www.aquarium.co.za


8. Stellenbosch Wine Tours
With towering mountains as their backdrop, the winelands towns offer history, spectacular scenery, outdoor activities and award winning restaurants for elegant or casual dining.
website: http://stellenboschwinetours.co.za






9. District Six Museum
Your one essential museum visit in Cape Town should be here. As much for the people of the now vanished District Six as it is about them
website: www.districtsix.co.za






10. Iziko Museum
Containing a wide and often intriguing series of exhibitions from rock art to fossils, marine animals and meteorites.
website: www.iziko.org.za

Pledge your support for Bafana Bafana and for South African Soccer.

Swop your uniform, casual wear, suit or designer outfit for the jersey of the national football team, Bafana Bafana. Tell your friends to wear one, tell your colleagues to wear one, tell your kids to wear one. Kids, tell your parents to wear one. If you don’t have a soccer jersey, borrow someone’s.

Don’t hold back! Why not wear a makarapa. Blow a vuvuzela or kuduzela. Fly the South African flag. Practise singing the South African anthem or try the diski dance.

Get interested. Get excited. Get talking – about the team whose shirt you’re wearing. About your favourite players. About football …

Ke nako! The time has come… to rally behind Bafana Bafana and post your comments of support on this website.

Any companies wishing to join in and pledge support should email us at info@the-beautiful-game.info

With a fearsome skull and crossbones logo, Orlando Pirates are one of the oldest football clubs in South Africa. The club was formed in 1937, growing out of the Orlando Boys Club in Soweto, Johannesburg, and achieved a pre-eminence in South African football by consistently producing the type of free flowing, exciting, attacking football that has served as an inspiration for young players to strive to play the beautiful game in the black and white colours of the “Buccaneers”.

In its long and colourful history Pirates have become South African football’s trailblazers. The team enjoyed a clean sweep of titles in 1952 and 1973, and become the first Sub-Saharan club to be crowned the Champions of Africa when they defeated ASEC Mimosas in 1995. A year later they also achieved another first by winning the African Super Cup trophy. To accomplish this they have had in their teams over the years some brilliant individual masters of the game – names like Kaizer Motaung, Jomo Sono and Chippa Moloi always come up when the connoisseurs of South African soccer talk football legends.

Coached by Dutch World Cup star Ruud Krol, the side play to please “The Ghost“, as the Buccaneers’ supporters are affectionately known – hence their slogan “Happy People“.

A team-by-team guide to the 2009/10 South African PSL season.

AJAX CAPE TOWN

Full name: Ajax Cape Town Football Club
Nickname: Urban Warriors
Founded: 1999
Ground: Athlone Stadium, Cape Town
Manager: Foppe de Haan

AMAZULU

Full name: AmaZulu Football Club
Nickname: Usuthu
Founded: 1932
Ground: Princess Magogo Stadium, KwaMashu, Durban
Manager: Neil Tovey

BIDVEST WITS

Full name: Bidvest Wits Football Club
Nickname: The Clever Boys
Founded: 1931
Ground: Bidvest Stadium, Johannesburg
Manager: Roger Da Sa

BLACK ACES

Full name: Mpumalanga Black Aces Football Club
Nickname: Amazayoni (The Zionists)
Founded: 2007
Ground: Atlantic Stadium, Witbank

Manager: Aiki Ayiomamitis

BLOEMFONTEIN CELTIC

Full name: Bloemfontein Celtic Football Club
Nickname: Phunya Sele Sele, Masokolara
Founded: 1969
Ground: Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein & Seisa Ramabodu Stadium, Botshabelo
Manager: Owen Da Gama

FREE STATE STARS

Full name: Free State Stars Football Club
Nickname: Ea Lla Koto (Fight to the end)
Founded: 1979
Ground: Goble Park, Bethlehem
Manager: Gordon Igesund

GOLDEN ARROWS

Full name: Lamontville Golden Arrows Football Club
Nickname: Abafana Bes’thende (The Backheel Boys)
Founded: 1943
Ground: King Zwelithini Stadium, Umlazi & Absa Stadium, Durban
Manager: Manqoba Mngqithi

JOMO COSMOS

Full name: Jomo Cosmos Football Club
Nickname: Ezenkosi
Founded: 1983
Ground: Rand Stadium, Johannesburg

Manager: Jomo Sono

KAIZER CHIEFS

Full name: Kaizer Chiefs Football Club
Nickname: Amakhosi (Chiefs in Zulu), Glamour Boys
Founded: 1970
Ground: Soccer City, Johannesburg
Manager: Vladimir Vermezovic

MAMELODI SUNDOWNS

Full name: Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club
Nickname: The Brazilians, Downs
Founded: 1970
Ground: Super Stadium, Atteridgeville
Manager: Hristo Stoichkov

MARITZBURG UNITED

Full name: Maritzburg United Football Club
Nickname: The Team of Choice, The People’s Choice
Founded: 1979
Ground: Woodburb Stadium, Pietermaritzburg
Manager: Ernst Middendorp

MOROKA SWALLOWS

Full name: Moroka Swallows Football Club
Nickname: The Birds, The Beautiful Birds, The Dube Birds
Founded: 1947
Ground: Germiston Stadium
Manager: Ranier Zobel

ORLANDO PIRATES

Full name: Orlando Pirates Football Club
Nickname: Buccaneers, Bucs, Ezikamagebhula, Sea Robbers, Happy People

Founded: 1937
Ground: Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg
Manager: Ruud Krol

PLATINUM STARS

Full name: Platinum Stars Football Club
Nickname: The Lions of the North, The Tycoons
Founded: 1998
Ground: Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg

Manager: Steve Khompela

SANTOS

Full name: Engen Santos Football Club
Nickname: The People’s Team
Founded: 1982
Ground: Athlone Stadium, Cape Town
Manager: Boebie Solomons

SUPERSPORT UNITED

Full name: SuperSport United Football Club
Nickname: Matsatsantsa (The Swanky Boys)
Founded: 1994
Ground: Super Stadium, Atteridgeville
Manager: Gavin Hunt

Kicking is what soccer is all about.

To excel you need a powerful, accurate kick. Here are a few tips to help improve your technique.

1. The Position of Your Kicking Leg – The first point is crucial whether you will get a powerful kick or not. The technique behind it is very simple: The higher you bring your kicking leg back the more powerful kick you will get.
2. The Position of your ankle – Try to keep the ankle of your kicking foot locked. This is one of the easiest things to forget during the kicking moment.
3. Position of your Knee – The knee of your supporting leg needs to be slightly bent. By doing this it will be easier to kick the ball with the instep part of your foot. Keep in mind that the more you bend your knee the easier you’ll have to kick the ball with your instep.
4. Distance of your supporting leg – The foot of your supporting leg needs to be about a foot away from the ball. This will make it possible to strike the ball from a 45 degree angle which will provide your kick with great power. Keep in mind also that the direction of the ball will depend in which direction your supporting foot is pointing.
5. Position of your body – If you lean your body forward your shoot will stay low to the ground. However, if you lean your body back the ball will fly higher.

Use the Mind Map below to help you remember

Click here to download PDF Mind Map

Mind Map, courtesy of UsingMindMaps.com

In modern-day South African soccer, the art of nicknaming players seems to have lost its lustre. To an extent, modern nicknames are, for the most part, boring and unimaginative – a sea of recycled “Professors” and “Aces” that seems to differ greatly from the past list that includes such classics as “Legs of Thunder” and “Stability Unit”. While present day footballers may not have the hardhitting nicknames of the boxing fraternity such as James “Bonecrusher” Smith or Roberto “Hands of Stone” Duran, South Africa has had many eccentric characters who inspired fans with intriguing and long-lasting nicknames.

The world of music and showbusiness are well represented in diverse forms such as Archie “Juluka” Radebe (who was named after Johnny Clegg’s popular band) and former Orlando Pirates’ star Alfred “From Russia with Love” Jacobs.

There are of course those who are simply known by nicknames that reflect the way that they displayed their skills or their stature in the local game. Bernard “Dancing Shoes” Hartze was known for his speed and goal-scoring ability while the peformance, skill and natural ability of Ratha “Jimmy Greaves” Maokgoatlheng and Joseph “Gordon Banks” Setlhodi were regarded as equal to those of their soccer legend tag lines.

Because of their amazing reflexes and agility, goalkeepers usually get associated with nimble creatures. Brian “Spiderman” Baloyi, Moeneeb “Slimcat” Josephs, Patson “The Black Cat” Banda and Trevor “Black Panther” Gething are/were great examples of the country’s ability to produce top quality professional goalkeepers.

Ephraim “Jomo” Sono was perhaps the most superbly skilled local footballer. Affectionately known as “the Black Prince” he displayed an ability to tear teams apart with defence-splitting passes or to turn defenders inside out with a sublime display of individual skill. More recently he has enjoyed success as a coach with an astute eye for talent.

Following is our top 12 list of curious nicknames of famous local players and coaches.

Mario “The Godfather” Tuani
Thomas “Who’s Fooling Who” Hlongwane
Mike “Tsetse Fly” Ntombela
Marks “Go man go” Maponyane
Suliman “Bump-jive” Bhamjee
Lesley “Slow Poison” Manyathela
Aubrey “Sense of knowledge” Leokwane
Amos “Heel Extension” Mkhari
Johannes “Chippa/Telephone exchange” Molatedi
Jabu “Problem Child” Pule/Mahlangu
Andrew “Jaws of Life” Rabutla
Doctor “16 valve” Khumalo

We challenge you guys to come up with other nicknames for our stars – it does not matter who they are or who they play for. Then swing by and let us know what you’ve thought of.

If you are an avid fan, are gripped by World Cup football fever spreading across South Africa, and want to recreate the fascination and excitement of a football match, then why not enjoy the thrill and challenge of playing these exciting board games that were selected as finalists in the 2007 World Bank’s Development Marketplace competition.

In this “old school”,  soccer simulation simplicity is what makes it addictive. Who would be in your soccer dream team? Pick a modern team and an “all time team” and fill in the team sheet. Illustrations of footballers are the game pieces, basic rules regulate strategic movement and the stadium’s perimeter advertising hoardings can be used to promote products and services.

Play it free, rate it, share this link with your friends, or post comments on this website, your blog or social network service.

To advertise, email us at: info@the-beautiful-game.info

The real legends of South African Soccer

As World Cup 2010 interest mounts we’ve come up with an idea to get you truly involved in the excitement of FIFA 2010 South Africa. Every week, starting 18 January 2010, for the next 24 weeks we will be adding one name to the list of the Greatest Bafana Bafana players since re-admission. Let us know your selections, memories of the player and why he deserves to be on the list.

Lucas Radebe

Date of Birth:         April 12 1969
Nickname:             The Chief, Rhoo
Clubs:                   Kaizer Chiefs, Leeds United (UK)
Position:                Defender
International Debut: SA vs Cameroon – July 7 1992
Caps:                70
Goals:               2

Mark Fish

Date of Birth:         March 14 1974
Nickname:             Feesh
Clubs:                   Jomo Cosmos, Orlando Pirates, Lazio (Italy), Charlton Athletic (UK), Bolton Wanderers (UK), Ipswich Town (UK/ on loan)
Position:                Defender
International Debut: SA vs Mexico – October 6 1993
Caps:                     62
Goals:                    2

Theophilus Khumalo

Date of Birth:         July 26 1967
Nickname:             Doctor
Clubs:                   Kaizer Chiefs, Columbus Crew (USA), club Ferrocarril Oeste (Argentina)
Position:                Defender
International Debut: SA vs Cameroon – July 7 1992
Caps:                    50
Goals:                   9

With the 2010 Fifa World Cup being hosted in South Africa, you are in for a uniquely African treat.

Whether you will be coming to the shores of South Africa, or following the games from your home, you need to learn the street soccer lingo of South Africa to experience the game ‘African style’.

South Africa has a unique soccer language, which developed from the black township slang in the 1950’s. To fully enjoy your South African World Cup experience of the beautiful game, it will be worth your while to learn some of the local terms.

South Africa is a culturally diverse nation, but stand singularly united by the beautiful game. Despite the eleven official languages, football has produced a single glossary of terms, giving it a uniquely South African spin.

Glossary of terms:

• ikasi lingo – township slang
• idiski – soccer or football
• grounds – stadium or pitch
• ishibobo – literally means nutmeg, but refers to passing the ball through the legs of the opponent, making a ‘fool’ of the person
• kwetla – dribbling
• tsamaya – breath taking skill
• vuvuzela – a colourful, fog-horn type instrument is a cause of much debate. You either love it your you hate it. There are even calls for FIFA to ban it.
• makaraba, or makarapa – a uniquely adorned safety hat, worn when attending matches
• ladduuuuuuuuuumaaaa – cries of joy when a goal is scored

Take these down, memorise them and use them. You will be welcomed by the hospitable locals with open arms.

So, whatever happens in 2010, you are sure to experience the beautiful game as it’s never been experienced before – African style!

Johannesburg, Soccer City: (96,000)
Durban, Moses Mabhida: (70,000)
Cape Town, Cape Town Stadium: (68,000)
Johannesburg, Ellis-Park: (60,000)
Tshwane/Pretoria, Loftus Versfeld: (52,000)
Port Elizabeth, Nelson-Mandela-Bay-Stadium: (46,000)
Nelspruit, Mbombela: (43,500)
Mangaung/Bloemfontein, Free-State (40,000)
Polokwane, Peter-Mokaba-Stadium (40,000)
Rustenburg, Royal-Bafokeng-Stadium (40,000)

2010 Draw Sets Stage for World Cup Soccer

What are your comments, insights and/or predictions for the FIFA World Cup 2010 and the draw results?

Group A: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France

Probably the most balanced of the groups. On paper, host country South Africa seems to be the weakest of the four teams having a low FIFA ranking of 85. Yet, it would be a major mistake to discount Bafana Bafana. Among the other teams in this group, Mexico has reeled off an impressive winning streak with victories over fellow World Cup finalists United  States and Honduras. Uruguay and France both struggled during qualifications, needing last-minute goals to advance.

Group B: Argentina, South Korea, Nigeria, Greece

This was the group that all the top seeds wanted to get. The least amount of travelling, and one fixed hotel throughout the first stage makes it a much coveted placing. Fortunately for Nigeria, the country is drawn into a rather mediocre group. Argentina under Maradona has struggled mightily. South Korea and Greece are unlikely to be able to match recent magical runs in the World Cup and Euro finals.

Group C: England, USA, Algeria, Slovenia

England and the United States should consider themselves very fortunate to be drawn into such a weak group. This is the first time Algeria and Slovenia have reached a World Cup final and historically, first-timers are more like spectators than participants. The much anticipated match between England and the United States will likely decide who will win this group.

Group D: Germany, Australia, Ghana, Serbia

Germany has never failed to advance past the group stage. Based on current form, the Germans seem poised to dominate their group once again. Ghana are one of the more impressive African teams coming into this tournament and will be extremely tough to beat. The Aussies boast a team packed with Premiership talent and will also be looking to progress to the knock out stages. Serbia come into their first World Cup after dominating their qualifying group and are a fantastic prospect for a long run in the competition, but they might come undone by their international inexperience.

Group E: Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon

The Netherlands are the overwhelming favourites in this group. Denmark came through the trenches of qualification in possibly the toughest group in world football and consigned Portugal to the playoffs. Cameroon only qualified on the last game day and their un-doing could be their unpredictability. Japan were the very first team to book their place at the footballing banquet on show but has never won a World Cup match away from home soil.

Group F: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia

Defending champions Italy has the fortune of being drawn into one of the two weakest groups. This is only New Zealand’s second World Cup, while 2010 is Slovakia’s debut. Paraguay have had slightly more success in the World Cup, but have never progressed beyond the last 16. Don’t expect anyone but Italy to reach the latter stages of the competition from this group.

Group G: Brazil, Korea DPR, Côte d’Ivoire, Portugal

In every World Cup final, there is at least one group that we like to call the Group of Death. Group G is likely to earn this distinction. World Cup favourites Brazil will clash with two highly talented teams from Ivory Coast and Portugal. Ivory Coast are undoubtedly the best African team while Portugal are one of the slickest passing teams in world football, their technical brilliance perhaps only matched by Brazil. North Korea will be looking to make as big an impact as they did on their last foray in the World Cup in 1966.

Group H: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile

Spain are drawn into a relatively weak group and should advance with ease. The second spot is wide open as competing teams are all rather mediocre. Switzerland, Honduras, Chile have played well to qualify for the finals but are seriously lacking real talent. Among the teams, Chile is slightly more talented than the rest and is the best bet to join Spain in the second round.