DANCE, MUSIC MARKS 100 DAYS IN BUFFALO CITY

Dance, music marks 100 days in Buffalo City

By Tabisa Mntengwana
03 March 2010

Buffalo City, along with the rest of South Africa, celebrated the 100-day World Cup milestone on 2 March with dance, song and joyful vuvuzela-blowing.

At a celebratory gathering at the East London City Hall the 200-strong crowd sang the national anthem with gusto to mark the days remaining until the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ kicks off on African soil.

Fans were also urged to learn the Diski Dance, which has been specially choreographed to show South Africa’s pride and excitement ahead of and during the World Cup spectacle. The sequence is based on catchy football moves, with a distinct African flair.

Members of the Amathole District Municipality joined Buffalo City at the countdown event by trumpeting on vuvuzelas and waving South African flags to boost the Fly the Flag campaign, which is part of a national drive to build support and enthusiasm for the World Cup.

On this day South Africans, here and abroad, have been called on to demonstrate their excitement for the tournament and display their passion for the country and the beautiful game of soccer, the district municipality said in a statement.

The World Cup takes place between 11 June and 11 July, with matches being played at 10 different venues around the country, including the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth.

Some 2.2-million tickets have already been sold for the 64-match tournament.

According to Buffalo City’s 2010 project manager Roy Young, the municipality has various activities planned for the countdown period.

“We are happy to see that people from Buffalo City and the Amathole district have embraced the vibe of the soccer tournament coming in June,” Young said. “It goes to show that our people are hungry for other activities of this nature.”

Some of the events on the calendar are the Buffalo City Challenge Cup later in March, the launch of the Women’s Football Academy in April, and the installation of giant screens at various public-viewing sites for the World Cup.

The countdown celebrations in the city were organised by, among others, MTN – one of the official World Cup sponsors, Buffalo City, Metrorail, Eastern Cape Tourism and the Amathole District Municipality.