fred hatman

Because everything about this first African World Cup is beautifully brand-new, I want a Holland v Spain final on Sunday. Yes, that way we’ll be assured of a new winner of the world’s most desirable football trophy. Removing three-times winners Germany from the equation is just a bonus. But, first, Spain need to do the [...]

I don’t know if you have had the pleasure of experiencing the sand sculptures that are made by people with a lot of time on their hands down at Durban’s beachfront. Well, have you? No? Come with me… Yes, that’s Soccer City in the foreground and our man is putting the finishing touches to Port [...]

All is not lost, all of you only able to admire Durban’s sublime Moses Mabhida Stadium on the television. John Gore has just sent me a stunning 360 deg visual of possibly the world’s most beautiful stadium… so form an orderly queue, parp your vuvuzelas and follow me. This is one phenomenal trip… How was [...]

Right. In about 96 hours time, 94,700 crazy people will be frenzying around inside the illuminated calabash that is Johannesburg’s Soccer City as South Africa and Mexico light the wick of the fizz-pop fandango that is to be the 2010 World Cup. And stretching across every country on our globe, billions will crane their necks [...]

My hands are up. I confess. I’ve had more than a few unkind words to say about Cape Town on this blog. But that was then. When I was living 40 metres from the golden sands of Umdloti Beach north of Durban and was transfixed by the stunningness of the majestic arch over Moses Mabhida [...]

OK. You Hatpeople brave enough to regularly enter this blogspace know that my mission in life is to enrich yours. That’s what I do. I can’t help it. I was put on this planet to make you feel better. To help you rise above the drudgery of your daily lives in South Africa, a country [...]

Fasten those seatbelts, Heartpeople. I have to issue a health and safety warning here… The following image may bring on feelings of dizziness and acute disorientation. You may experience extreme giddiness and an uncontainable desire to fall to the floor and writhe around in wanton wondrousness. OK. Ready? Just roll around in the beauty of [...]

When intelligence (I think that’s the right word to use) surfaced in Durban this week that Helen Zille, Queen of the Republic of Cape Town, had ordered that Durban’s splendiferous Moses Mabhida Stadium be uprooted, placed gently on an aircraft carrier borrowed from Barack Obama and brought to Green Point to replace the supporating carbuncle [...]

Ever since I broke the news on this blog that the grass was struggling to grow at Cape Town’s dodgy new World Cup stadium, city officials have been toiling day and night to, in their local parlance, “maak ‘n plan”. There was every danger that Green Point Stadium was to be renamed Brown Point Stadium due [...]

Slick on the draw. South Africa and neighbouring independent state The Republic of Cape Town put on quite a show when hosting the Fifa World Cup 2010 finals draw. Star of the show – and she certainly wasn’t leaving anybody in any doubt – was former Benoni bokkie Charlize Theron who was incredibly self-assured and [...]