Wit h the FIFA 2010 World Cup hitting fever pitch, the football reality show, Chase the Makarapa, hit Grahamstown for a two-day stay.
Wit h the FIFA 2010 World Cup hitting fever pitch, the football reality show, Chase the Makarapa, hit Grahamstown for a two-day stay.
Chase the Makarapa is a football reality show being filmed for DSTV’s SuperSport channel. The show focusses on eight participants from around the world who are travelling around South Africa in conjunction with the Fifa 2010 World Cup.
Their joyride started on the 11 June at Soccer City for the opening game of the World Cup and will continue until the final at Soccer City.
The competition is aired as a 15-minute show on Supersport’s 24 hour World Cup channel. Their pitstop on their travels was Grahamstown after being in East London for a night.
“It’s the chance of a lifetime to watch the World Cup in my home country with perfect strangers,” says Tshepo Malephane, a coach/contestant in the competition, who has enjoyed the fun and the challenges that have come with the competition.
The contestants have to perform daily tasks in order to win match tickets to whichever game is at the city in which they are in.
There are three South African contestants and one each from Poland, Brazil, China, India and Nigeria. The contestants have enjoyed each day of the competition and are always excited about each new day.
When they are woken daily at 7am, they never know what is in store for them. Each morning they receive a message about what they have to do, along with clues.
Ismael dos Angos, from Belo Horizonte in Brazil, has been impressed by what South Africa has had to offer in the World Cup.
Since Brazil will be the next host, he feels that his country has been given a high standard to maintain for the 2014 edition.
“It has been a dream witnessing the World Cup, an African World Cup, a unique World Cup, and I can’t wait for the 2014 World Cup because there will be matches in my home town,” says Dos Angos.
Another contestant, Maggie Wu from China, was ordered by her boss to enter the competition, but so far has enjoyed her stay here.
Her highlight was meeting the Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini. Magdalena Koolka from Poland says she has fallen in love with South Africa and intends to make it her permanent home.
“I was nervous about coming to South African and my mother freaked out when she knew that I’d have to travel alone, so when I arrived here I had to call her twice to reassure her,” says Koolka. Her most enjoyable experience was when she dived with sharks in Durban.
In the competition, the emotions and fears of the contestants have been put to the test. “Sometimes we have our arguments, we have our fights, but we’re from different backgrounds and different cultures, so in that way we learn a lot about each other and we become closer,” he said.
Malephane also adds that the competition is all about participation and that the group members overcome their fears by teamwork.
An example was Dos Angos, who used the Big Swing at Sabie game reserve to overcome his fear of heights.
