South Africa Soccer Culture

South Africa Soccer History

The very first documented football matches took place in 1862 between civil servants and soldiers in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. Players were seen as community heroes, uniting the population with their skill and love for the game. Soccer thrived throughout the country; rural townships, schools, cities, and the country’s most prestigious international sporting venues such as Soccer City and Ellis Park in Johannesburg. Pride and patriotism overwhelmed the population when South Africa was awarded official host of the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup in 2004.

South Africa Soccer Culture

South Africa is very unique when it comes to its distinctive soccer culture, unlike anywhere else in the world. Here are some guidelines if you want to fit in with the rest of this country’s colorful crowd.

Makaraba

A Makaraba is a colorfully decorated hardhat, painted with slogans and decorated with team flags; towering above fans’ heads at all soccer matches. According to legend, in the late 70’s and early 80’s Kaizer Chiefs (a very well known local SA team) fans wore hardhats to soccer games, protecting them from bottles and other objects thrown during the game. Later fans decorated their hardhats to support their teams.

A Makaraba is usually worn with comical, out of proportion glasses, and matching painted and decorated overall. Join in South Africa’s fun soccer culture, supporting your teams with your own Makaraba, or have one custom made!

Vuvuzela

The Vuvuzela is a brightly colored plastic trumpet blown at all soccer matches to boost fans’ teams’ performance. Vuvuzelas make a high pitched sound, similar to that of a big air-horn on trucks. Vuvuzelas were first introduced to the country as a child’s toy, but was soon discovered by soccer fans as a means to cheer on their teams in the large soccer venues. Whenever there is action near the goalposts, be sure to hear the sound of Vuvuzelas echoing through the stadium.

Rumor has it that fans are encouraged to blow on their Vuvuzelas as loud as they can throughout the last 15 minutes of a match.

Soccer Superstitions
When it comes to soccer, fans and players will resort to all possible means to give their team the edge above the rest. There are many superstitions and odd traditions, ranging from spells to wearing your lucky pair of briefs. Siyabona Africa Travel did a recent poll to find out just exactly what goes on in the complex minds of soccer enthusiasts.