Villas and Hotels for Africa would like to keep all our readers as up to date as possible regarding the recent happenings in and around South Africa.

After we have sadly said goodbye to FIFA World Cup 2010, yet another memorable day is lurking the horison… Mandela Day!

For those of you not sure about the W.W.W’s of Mandela day, no not the World Wide Web, but the Why, What and Where, keep reading and before you know it you will be telling the tale.

Why? – is there a Mandela day:

Following the success of 46664’s to Mandela’s 90th Birthday celebrations in London’s Hyde Park in June 2008, it was decided that there could be nothing more fitting than to celebrate Madiba’s birthday each year with a day dedicated to his life’s work and that of his charitable organisations and to ensure his legacy continues forever.

What? is Mandela day:

Mandela Day is an annual celebration of Nelson Mandela’s life and a global call to action for people to recognize their individual ability to make an imprint and change the world around them. This day has been created to inspire people from every corner of the world to embrace the values that have embodied Nelson Mandela’s life – democracy; equality; reconciliation; diversity; responsibility; respect and freedom – for these are the values of Nelson Mandela and they are his legacy to the world. Mandela Day is a global social movement – think of the movie “Pay it forward” – that does not discriminate, it’s open and lets in and embraces every organization that does good, whilst enabling people to serve their community and improve their lives.

Where? can I celebrate Mandela day:

The campaign message is simple: Nelson Mandela has given 67 years of his life fighting for the rights of humanity. All we are asking is that everyone gives 67 minutes of their time, whether it’s supporting your chosen charity or serving your local community. Which means in short – Make every day a MANDELA DAY! Any place, Any time, Anywhere!

To find out more about the struggles Mandela and many others in this country had to face, visit The Apartheid Museum, the first of its kind, illustrates the rise and fall of apartheid.

Happy Birthday! We love you Madiba – Thank you for what you have done for South Africa and the World.

12 June seemed like yesterday when hundreds and thousands of soccer supporters entered our borders. Now today 12 July 2010 all is back to reality once again. No more flags on the cars, no more hooting, waving and smiling at the car next to you filled with supporters on their way to tonights game. Not even to mention the Fan Walk and Fan Fest in Cape Town! Millions of people made their way from Grand Parade to Green Point Stadium, not even a single complaint with regards to the distance of 5.2km to and from the Stadium. Young and old celebrated, cheered, danced and blowed their vuvuzelas to the best of their abilities. A nation became one.

The closing ceremony was spectacular to say the least – Well done South Africa for making us all Proudly South Africans. The highlight of the evening had to be Shakira performing official world cup song Waka Waka and Nelson Mandela’s appearance to spread some Madiba sparkles.

The match was one of the best I have personally experienced in this world cup. Defence was strong on both sides and I have to take my hat off to Spain goal keeper Iker Casillas who has gloves of gold – now figuratively and literally after winning the adidas Golden Glove award. And so third time unlucky for Dutch but this was no rough justice; they had two of the three easiest chances on the night which, if converted, would have sealed the match for them in normal time. The statistics don’t lie. Eight yellows (two of which made a red), Netherland’s 14 shots to Spain’s 21, Netherlands 28 fouls to Spain’s 19 and 63% possession to Spain. And the one goal conceded, deep into extra-time made the final score 1 – 0. Congratulations Spain – a well deserved win.

“AND THE AWARD GOES TO”

We have the latest info on the 2010 FIFA World Cup Awards:

2010 FIFA World Cup Winners:

1st Place: Spain

2nd Place: Netherlands

3rd Place: Germany

4th Place: Uraguay

adidas Golden Ball Award:

Diego Forlan

adidas Golden Boot Award:

Thomas Meuller

adidas Golden Glove Award:

Iker Casillas

FIFA Fair Play Award:

Spain

Best Young Player Award:

Thomas Meuller

Congratulation to all winners.

Remember South Africa as a place where people come together, a place where a trip to the Winelands is a mere ten minute drive away from the beach. Where a safari breakaway can happen next weekend and absailing a mountain can be done in your lunch break.

The people are friendly, the smiles are big and our hearts are welcoming.

Thank you for making South Africa your home away from home.

To help you plan your next visit please visit www.villasandhotelsforafrica.com – we know africa best.

soccer related images supplied by fifa.com

Tags: 2010 FIFA Word Cup Awards, 2010 FIFA World Cup Winners, absailing, adidas awards, Award, Diego Forlan, Iker Casillas, safari breakaway, Spain, Thomas Meuller, Winelands

This entry was posted on Monday, July 12th, 2010 at 11:44 am and is filed under 2010, Proudly South African, South Africa, Travel, World Cup 2010. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Edit this entry.

CAPE TOWN - Shot-shy Italy needed a scrambled second-half equaliser by Daniele De Rossi to snatch a 1-1 draw with Paraguay after they had looked on course to begin their campaign with defeat. Antolin Alcaraz thumped in a header after 39 minutes as the world champions more than lived up to their reputation as slow starters, delivering a damp squib of a display perfectly suited to cold and miserable Cape Town weather.

The Italians were slightly better in the second half, levelling after another goalkeeping blunder in the 63rd minute, but did precious little to change the pessimistic view of their fans and media who sent them to South Africa amid widespread predictions of an early return. Italy coach Marcello Lippi, who had said on Sunday that a draw would not be a disaster, told reporters: "I'm very satisfied with our performance, I'm very satisfied with the approach to the World Cup. "The first time they got near goal they scored, then there was a good reaction from us and we equalised. But we created little danger for the amount of possession we had." Paraguay, who had beaten Brazil and Argentina in qualifying, had no need to be in fear of the holders but their dire World Cup record where they have not got past the second round in seven attempts, going out in the group stage four times, was always there in the background. Nevertheless, they settled well and produced a hugely disciplined and hard-working display to keep the Italians largely beyond the penalty area. The game had meandered through almost an entire half of error-littered, unimaginative play before exploding into life in the 39th minute. Aureliano Torres swung in a hopeful free kick from wide on the right but Alcaraz showed great determination to make it his, rising early and high above Fabio Cannavaro to power his header beyond Gianluigi Buffon. It was a stunning blow for the Italians, who had looked completely untroubled until that point, albeit without ever looking remotely like scoring themselves. The holders were forced to bring on substitute goalkeeper Federico Marchetti at half time after Buffon hurt his back but, with key creative midfielder Andrea Pirlo absent through injury, it was at the other end of the pitch where they needed inspiration. Little was forthcoming but they levelled when Justo Villar flapped at and missed a Simone Pepe corner and De Rossi stuck out a foot to steer the ball into the empty net. Italy roused themselves in the last 10 minutes in search of a winner but stout defending saw Paraguay hold on for deserved point. Lippi's team, who face New Zealand and Slovakia in their remaining group games, will look to 1982 for inspiration, when they drew their opener but went on to win the tournament. Paraguay will also fancy their chances of progress and with a potential second-round clash with Netherlands, Denmark, Japan or Cameroon, can also start dreaming of a first appearance in the quarter-finals. "For us the most valuable thing is that we played well against the current world champions," said their coach Gerardo Martino. "To play against such a rival with such quality skills is a good sign for us and it gives us a lot of confidence."

To book Cape Town accommodation for the next match at Green Point Stadium contact Villas and Hotels for Africa on +27 21 975 8192 or email for Rates and dates available johlene@villasandhotelsforafrica.com

Book online accommodation for the best rates available www.villasandhotelsforafrica.com.

 

   

In England, they don’t tend to eat outdoors. In 1666, Thomas Farriner invited some friends round for a medieval shindig and look what happened to him: he had one too many and started the Great Fire of London. It’s no wonder the English are skeptical about having a braai. What is this Braai? Is it merely the abbreviation of the name ‘Brian’, only with a funny accent, or does it mean something more?

Cave men can’t have been British, because they actually catapulted man from a predatory snack to a predator themselves when they discovered fire. Nowadays, open fires are synonymous with the braai and, come rain or shine, South African’s must braai. If they spy an upturned shopping trolley they are compelled to chuck red meat on top of it and the braai even has it’s own day: National Braai Day, on 24th September. Seeing as South Africans take braais so seriously, it might be a good idea to do some prior research before you attend one of these fiery affairs. You can check out Google or ask the locals, but here are some useful tips to get you started:

1 – Bring out your carnivorous side
It’s no secret that we as South Africans are mental about meat. If you can’t tow Noah’s Ark behind you to your friend’s braai, then the local supermarket is the next best place. The philosophy is to bring your own meat (known as ‘braaivleis’, which in Afrikaans means braai meat) such as, lamb chops, boerewors, sosaties, kebabs, marinated chicken and pork. Your meat will be chucked onto a huge meaty pile, which is then cooked by someone called a ‘tong master’ (your friend’s husband) and shared out amongst the crowd. Please note that the act of bringing hamburgers to a braai is cited as a criminal offence, under Section 12(7).

2 – Bring salads, side dishes and deserts
South African’s don’t mess around – we’re talking a three course banquet here, so get busy transforming potatoes and rice into sublime salads and baking huge cakes. I discovered that pre-dinner snacks are a meal in themselves. I was greeted by a table, adorned with a whole block of cream cheese drizzled in sweet chili sauce, mussels, crackers, chips and dips. I singlehandedly ate three quarters of the cream cheese whilst indulging in conversation. I honestly don’t know how that happened. Which leads me swiftly onto…

3 – Bring a gigantic appetite
Be prepared for a full day of eating. You’ll experience extreme snacking, followed by meat and salads which taste so gorgeous that you feel compelled to have another three helpings. Remarkably, there is still room for dessert.

4 – Bring Alcohol
The Braai is a casual, social event and presents the opportunity to catch up with friends and family. Alcohol is not only the answer to everything in Cape Town, but it is the perfect complement to a braai feast ( and it will also make your mother-in-law a little bit more bearable). Crack open a cold beer on a summers day, or bring warming brandy or red wine, for cosy winter braais.

5 – Bring your weather resistance
As before mentioned, the whole idea of having a braai is that you enjoy this in the great outdoors. Bearing in mind that you will be doing battle with the elements, pack for the weather. Bring sun cream and swimwear for lazy sunny days or heaters and warm wooly jumpers to ward off the cold winter.

6 – Bring Braai accessories
Although some South Africans have been known to eat straight from the braai (or in extreme cases from the top of an upturned shopping trolley), these events can be rather sophisticated affairs.

Eat your meat off tin plates, bring plastic cups to hold your wine, cooler boxes to keep food fresh and picnic blankets to park your rear end on.

Still confused? Ask your host: ‘What can I bring’ and they’ll happily recommend some or other versions of the above.

 

Can you believe the day has come where we will be saying there is one day to go! :)

Just click on the link provided and book your experience today!

http://www.villasandhotelsforafrica.com/villas-tours-detail.php?id=125

This day begins with morning coffee and hot croissants in Franschhoek village, with time for a walkabout of the quaint shops and galleries along the high street. Our first tasting of wine will be at La Couronne, set high on a hill above the village. Apart from their flagship Ménage a Trois red blend, we will sample the 2003 Chardonnay and 2003 Sauvignon Blanc, both of which won Silver at the 2004 Michelangelo International Wine Show. To read more about this fantastic day trip please visit our website on www.villasandhotelsforafrica.com

Go Bafana!!!!!!

WE LOVE YOU SOUTH AFRICA :)

Players returning to a FIFA World Cup™ for a second or even third time inevitably set out with the aim of doing better than when they last appeared on this illustrious stage.

However, one player preparing for South Africa's glamour event knows it will take a superhuman effort just to match his achievements at Germany 2006. Four years ago, Gianluigi Buffon conceded just two goals behind Italy’s parsimonious defence – one an own-goal, the other a penalty – and overall saved a remarkable 93 per cent of shots on his goal as Italy marched towards their fourth FIFA World Cup success.

The statistics are revealed by 2010 FIFA World Cup sponsor Castrol, which has devised an innovative player rating system enabling fans to monitor the performance of every player from the 32 competing teams for the first time at a FIFA World Cup. To coincide with this week’s launch of The Castrol Index, Castrol also revealed the player ratings from the last 11 tournaments – Buffon rated 9.61/10 - dating back to 1966, when a 20-year-old Franz Beckenbauer took the individual honours.

Der Kaiser netted four goals, created nine goal-scoring chances and won an impressive 17 tackles in West Germany’s journey to the Final, earning him a Castrol Rating of 9.83. Beckenbauer’s score has only been bettered by two players in subsequent tournaments: Brazilian record-breaker Ronaldo emerging as the best overall with 9.87, and Gerd Muller just a fingertip behind on 9.86.

Predators to the fore
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the tournament with the best strike rate since 1966, with an average chance conversion of 11.4 per cent. And amidst all that sharp-shooting Ronaldo shone brightest of all, firing in excess of 50 per cent more shots on target than any other player.

O Fenômeno is the greatest all-time scorer at FIFA World Cups, with 15 goals in total. Eight of those came in Korea/Japan, helping his country to a record fifth crown. His 9.87 ranking was earned through a competition-high 28 shots, while he also set up an impressive 13 goalscoring chances for team-mates.

Ronaldo’s super eight in 2002 was the most in a single tournament since Muller struck double figures for Germany in 1970. With an average of almost 42 shots per match, Mexico 1970 was the most attack-minded edition of the 11 staged since 1966 and Muller was involved in 13 goals overall. He scored 10 and assisted in three others - more than any other player has managed in any single FIFA World Cup between 1966 and 2006.

Of those ten goals, four were headed, another tournament-high, while the German also became only the second player to bag hat-tricks in consecutive matches at a FIFA World Cup after Hungary’s Sandor Kocsis in 1954.

Naturally, some of the greatest players who ever kicked a ball score highly in The Castrol Legends Index. Johan Cruyff dazzled in the 1974 tournament to gain an impressive 9.82, with a competition-high 55 dribbles. Apart from scoring three times, Cruyff also created a chance from open play every 22 minutes. In a 4-1 win over Bulgaria in a group fixture, the Dutch master set up no less than 11 chances for his colleagues.

El Diego excels
Just two decimal points behind Cruyff is Diego Maradona, who dominated Mexico 1986 with a score of 9.80. The Argentina superstar scored or assisted in 71 per cent of Argentina’s goals but it was Maradona’s dribbling prowess that truly caught the eye. He embarked on 90 dribbles in the competition, three times more than any other player, and 19 of these came in the momentous 2-1 quarter-final victory over England, the most ever attempted in a single FIFA World Cup game between 1966 and 2006.

Gregorz Lato was another midfielder to score well, finishing with a 9.81 Castrol Index rating for Poland in 1974. His seven-goal haul included the winner against Brazil in the Match for Third Place, raising his goals-to-shots conversion rate to 28 per cent.

Stand-out defenders include the French pair of Marcel Desailly and Lilian Thuram, who rose to the challenge when their country were tournament hosts in 1998. Desailly made 38 interceptions and 132 recoveries for a score of 9.71, while Thuram's mark of 9.78 owed a great deal to coming out on top in 75 per cent of his 50/50 duels.

All the great players mentioned above would admit, however, that while scoring highly in the ratings is worth celebrating, achieving success requires other factors that are not so easily quantifiable. Football is obviously not based on statistics alone and this FIFA World Cup is sure to be no different.