It’s terrifying coming to South Africa, we’ve heard. The crime, the heat… the white people. Lauren Clifford-Holmes and Verashni Pillay took it upon themselves to show you How It Is in three cities.
It’s the kind of thing that can earn you the intense dislike of your friends and family: A tour around the country staying at five-star hotels, backpackers and everywhere in between, while eating, partying and touring at the best places on offer in this wonderland of ours.
If it’s any comfort we usually spend our reporting time on disasters, protests and press conferences, or hunched over our desks churning out news. It can get you down about the state of the nation. This was our chance to get out and explore all that is beautiful about the motherland and boy did she sweep us off our feet.
The World Cup isn’t just about the soccer — or we wouldn’t bother having it in South Africa. As one business woman in Soweto told us, the real deal would mean people falling in love with the country, telling others and returning for more.
To this end the Mail & Guardian is featuring the best on offer in three major host cities: Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town. We’ll tell you where to stay, party and eat out — and how much it will cost you.
No M&G coverage would be complete without an investigative element. Niren Tolsi delves into the deeper issues each city faces over the next few weeks, and talks to a variety of people in the “My city, my World Cup” section. Read his pieces, on the left, for an indepth understanding of each city.
Of course there are six other host cities, all of which we cover in the Know Your City section of our brand-spanking new 2010 site. But for the big three we’ve produced a range of videos, reviews, articles and more.
Join us as we explore all three cities, and visit our 2010 site for further coverage.