Holland House

Zelfs hier in 't verre doch fraaie Zuid Afrika is er niet te ontkomen aan WK-koorts... Uiteraard wordt er met veel belangstellnig gekeken naar hoe die Duitsers het allemaal aanpakken, omdat de Zuid Afrikanen het kunstje over vier jaar mogen vertonen. En er is nog een héél wat te doen, voor ze hier maar in de buurt kunnen komen van de Deutsche Pünktlichkeit... Ik noem kleine details als 'infrastructuur' en 'public transport'. Om maar te zwijgen over 'degelijke stadions'.
Ik was toevallig vandaag in een stadion waar eventueel de finale gespeeld zou moeten gaan worden. Ik denk dat FC Volendam nog over de grond zou rollen van 't lachen als ze hier moesten spelen...
En naast alle Afrikaanse aandacht voor 't WK, zijn er natuurlijk ook de nodige Hollanders hier, die zoals altijd hun eigen feestje bouwen. ook hier is een inmiddels berucht 'Holland House'.
Dus ik daar zondag heen. Mét fotograaf, want mn chef kwam niet meer bij toen ik een beeld van dronken oranje geschilderde malloten op klompen schetste, met hollandse hosmuziek, bitterballen en véél bier.
Bijgaand het resultaat van de noeste arbeid. (al moet ik er eerklijkheidshalve bij zeggen dat, wegens ruimtegebrek, er maar een slap aftreksel de voorpagina van de krant haalde).
Wel leuke reacties, de organisatoren waren zo trots dat ze op de voorpagina van de Star stonden, dat ik morgen op een luxe luncg wordt getrakteerd. Want exposure=meer sponsors, en na mijn stukkie werden ze meteen gebeld door nationale tv-zender SABC én door Zuid-Afrikaanse consulenten voor RTL en Endemol...
Oh, ps, als goed journalist ben ik natuurlijk buiten de foto's gebleven, maar vanaf de komende wedstrijd ga ik 'privé' en mag ik wel op de foto! ;)

Jozi’s Dutchies know how to party their World Cup team’s win

By Demian van der Reijden

The Dutch ruled at Lapamanzi Pub Africa (cor) in Fourways Gardens shopping centre yesterday (Sun), just as they did in the field against Serbia and Montenegro in yesterday’s match in Germany's World Cup Finals.
From 11am the first orange shirts could be spotted, and by the time Portugal and Angola kicked off their evening match, the party was still going strong, with blaring Dutch party music, alcohol flowing freely and the clomping of wooden clogs.
Lapamanzi was transformed into ‘Holland House’ yesterday. Orange flags draped all over the place, free orange T-shirts for the first hundred comers, and of course Dutch beer and snacks. The pub will be hosting the Dutch fans throughout the tournament, said Lapamanzi’s Sally McKenzie (cor). “They can make a great party. It’s good to have them.”
Before she finished her sentence, she was drowned out by Dutch fans cheering and singing when Orange’s forward Arjen Robben (cor) opened the score. Some even danced the tables on their infamous Dutch wooden clogs – orange ones of course.
The idea of organizing a place to watch the soccer games with fellow Dutch citizens originated – as many good idea’s – in the pub over a beer or two about six weeks ago, said initiator Pieter Smits (cor). The pub was chosen because quite a lot Dutchies live in the Fourways area, said Smits, and it is easily accessible from both Johannesburg and Pretoria.
“This is just super!” said colleague organizer Pieter Noordman (cor), finishing his beer. “It’s a piece of Holland in Johannesburg!”
Dutch fans have a reputation. But it’s a good one. Wherever they come, they build a party, hardly combined with any incidents. “It is just like back home”, explained Dutch student Gerjan Haasnoot (cor). “It’s always more fun watching together”, he said before starting another of those typically soccer songs, something about Arjen Robben doing 'a Van Basten' (cor), referring to the Dutch coach' legendary volley-goal that won Holland the '88 European Cup.
“Now we can show the South Africans how we celebrate soccer”, his friend Steijn van Oranje-Leeuwen (cor) added.
Only, there were not a lot to show. With 250 people and maybe 10% not being Dutch, it was an all-‘Hollanders’ get-together. “We like to see more South Africans for the next games”, said Smits.
McKenzie embraced the Dutch party animals, with their particular music and never ending thirst. “It is very good for our business. Tonight we ran out of Dutch beer, so I’ll have to order more for next game.”
Dutch Bavaria breweries are donating a barrel of draught for every match the Dutch side is playing, and the Dutch embassy sponsors Dutch snacks called ‘bitterballen’ (fried meatballs), Smits said.
With a marquee put up outside and two big screens added to the usual three TV’s, Lapamanzi is ready for the ‘Orange Army’. Yesterday there were about 250, aging from 8 months to 80 years, but Noordman expects at least a hundred more on Friday. “Rumour will spread, leading to more people. We can have them.”
With their team beating the Serbs 1-0, the Dutch certainly showed how to party, and McKenzie was not to close the pub at the Sunday's usual 8pm.
Like to join the Dutch in their next bash? Friday will the Netherlands play Africa Nations Cup’s finalist Ivory Coast, and it’s going to be a party at Lapamanzi’s again!
demian.vanderreijden@inl.co.za