With the World Cup just 50 days away, I thought I should take the time to explain why the first African World Cup will be a success.

I had fully intended to make this column about the weird and wonderful world of Dutch doctors. But, since starting to write it I have been caught up in the events that have been unfolding in little old South Africa.

With the World Cup now less than three months away - I thought it better to shelve my thoughts on those practitioners of “house arts” and dedicate this column to the World Cup and the reasons I am convinced it will be a success.

Admittedly, the press South Africa has received over the last two weeks or so has been rather abysmal. The killing of the right-wing, white-supremacist leader, Eugene Terre’Blanche, was duly pounced on by local and international tabloids as the start of much worse to come, especially for those visitors who had bought tickets to the Football. And, these thoughts were exacerbated by the loose talk of the head of the ruling party’s youth wing.

But, while the international press and, in particular, the tabloids get the spelling of the names correct, they fail to capture the essence of the people that make up South Africa. Yes, the crime rates are high, there is no denying that. Yes, some of our more ridiculous public figures have big mouths but, that is an ailment that afflicts politicians the world over. On the whole the people in the country are wonderful and it’s a pity that more stories about them don’t make it into international newspapers. They are genuinely passionate about the country and want to see it succeed.

And, to prove this point I want to share with you a little Reuters piece that didn’t get that well read and that the tabloids didn’t comment on. It was all about a training exercise set up by the French experts brought to the country to help train and prepare riot police. These police officers stood sweating in the sun, running through drills, making sure they would be ready to act if the need arose. And, to make sure they were fully prepared they even enlisted the help of some fake rioters - a contingent of off-duty soldiers had volunteered to help prepare their police comrades.

These rioters got into their role so vehemently that a couple of riot shields were broken and a few helmets were cracked - They were so enthusiastic about helping to prepare for the World Cup that they managed to break riot gear! Which I am led to believe takes some doing.

This, for me, sums up why the World Cup is likely to be a success. As a country we definitely still have problems: far too many people still lack basic resources. Race is still too close to the tip of our collective tongues. But, we are passionate about the country and while we can talk poorly of it, heaven help anyone else who even thinks of doing so.

There is a desire to succeed, to make the country great, that pulls our people together when we need it most. And, come kick off, the stands will be packed, Vuvzelas ringing out, and those tabloids will be feeling a little sheepish.
Yes, it will be a somewhat different Cup, but the spirit will be bright and anyone who ventures there will come home with memories they will cherish forever.