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Hi everyone. This is Ros, using Martin's login.
For the first time I'm writing this on the road. I'm sat in the front seat of one of our cars (not the one with the steering wheel I should add) as we drive south from Musina back to Johannesburg.

The articulated lorries we broadcast next to during yesterday's show from the Zimbabwean border are keeping us company and others with noticeably heavier loads are heading in the other direction.

And they are not going unattended. We’ve just been stopped by a police roadblock set up to Occasionally we’re passing clutches of small brick houses who I’m guessing are earning their living from the passing trade the road brings along with the farms that we can see dotted around.

If you’d like, to read more on yesterday’s show see towards the bottom of this posting.

WORLD CUP WINNERS AND LOSERS

FIFA, football’s world governing body, is in town to see how South Africa is doing ahead of the World Cup in 2010. Very well seems to be the verdict after a visit to Soweto to see Soccer City which is the venue for the final. But there’s an undoubted sensitivity surrounding the issue of South Africa’s preparedness. Danny Jordan – the man heading the preparations – went as far as saying at one event that he didn’t want to address that issue. He’d answered it too many times.

Today we’re going to be broadcasting from the training centre of the Kaizer Chiefs, one of South Africa’s top two football teams and one of the richest club s on the continent. We’ll be joined by administrators, players, club owners, coaches (including the national coach we hope), youth players and fans to thrash out some of the questions that won’t go away about 2010.

These are questions I’ve heard debated just since I’ve been here:
What will happen to the stadiums after the tournaments? Club football (apart from the Chiefs and their rivals the Pirates) is watched by very few so several grounds may be given to rugby clubs to use. Does that serve South Africans well?

Will South Africans be able to afford tickets to the games?
Angela Merkel’s been here over the past few days highlighting how the World Cup changed people’s perceptions of Germany. Is there a risk that SA will change perceptions but not in the people here would like? ‘It’ll be public humiliation’ one person said to me.

SCOUTS PROMISE

Not everything went to plan on yesterday’s programme. Some things were plain our fault, others were unlucky such a dust storm kicking up just as went on air, and others were a little more sinister. If you heard the show you’ll know that I had to keep going outside into a car park near the border to speak to Zimbabweans who weren’t comfortable making themselves known to the audience. But we also speaking to some South Africans in the same position.

These were ‘scouts’ – the men who arrange to illegal immigrants to come across the border, then look after them (in reality they leave them in a hiding place in the bush for up to 3 days and then pick them up) and deliver them to drivers ready to take them south – normally towards Johannesburg.

We had arranged to speak to two scouts but ten minutes before they were due we called and they cancelled. The reason they said was that local police has threatened to stop turning a blind eye if they did the interview. They would arrest them, the Zimbabweans they were helping and of course in turn damage the way they earn their money. That put pay to that interview.

SABC AFRICA AT 10PM TONIGHT

Right, this seems to have turned out to be almost as long as the N1 motorway we’re still on. I’ve just been told I’ve got to go and get made-up ahead of a TV interview. I’d have brought my own blusher if I’d know. The interview will be broadcast on SABC Africa between 10-10.30pm on SABC Africa is you have access to that.

Speak to you later.
Cheers,
Ros