Out of the vast stretch of Karoo farmlands, surrounded by hills, emerges a cluster of simply elegant cream coloured buildings with grey corrugated iron roofs. They house, among other institutions, the Hantam Community Education Trust’s school, Umthombo Wolwazi (Fountain of Knowledge), built on 11ha of donated land on the farm Grootfontein between Colesberg and Steynsburg in the Northern Cape.

No matter what excuses are made about player availability, poor preparation times and shambolic administration, 2006 will go down as a true annus horribilis for South Africa on the international soccer front. With the domestic game producing little in the way of international standard footballers, has the time arrived to look outside our borders for players?

Few people have had their fingers in more (black economic empowerment) transactions than Martin Kingston, a white male banker born in England. The investment adviser is one of the best wheeler-dealers in South Africa. A small man with strong features and close-cropped hair half-rises from his chair to greet me, writes Jocelyn Newmarch.