Durban — It's a busy month of July for the continent's top port of Durban, with Africa's premiere horseracing event, the naming of the host country for the 2018 Winter Olympics and a visit from Prince Albert of Monaco and the new Princess Charlene Wittstock, born in Zimbabwe.
The month kicked off with South Africa's second largest city hosting the Durban July, although fashionistas making the scene at the track far outnumbered horses. Celebrities from film stars, models, DJs and sports figures to cabinet ministers and businessmen and women were part of the capacity crowd. Despite the recession, takings and turnover were up some 15% over last year.
A filly beat the colts to bag the nearly $1-million prize. As Igugu – Zulu for "treasure" – galloped home, smoke was seen rising from a burning building in the city centre. The blaze was at an apartment block converted into dodgy accommodation for immigrants who flocked to Durban to escape desperate conditions on the continent. Fortunately no one was killed – that fate fell to former Durban July winner Big City Life, who broke a leg as he crossed the finish line and was swiftly and secretly "euthanased".
The theme of this year's Durban July was "a Right Royal Affair" – a tip of the wacky designer hat not only to those royals who recently wed in Britain, but the couple who jetted in from Monaco right after their wedding. Forget Will and Kate, South Africa's eyes were on our local swimming star who married the playboy Prince of that teensy European tax haven for the super-rich.
Charlene Wittstock and American movie star Grace Kelly's son, Albert, got hitched in a celebrity-filled ceremony the day before the Durban July. The newlyweds flew to Africa in time for the city's next international sporting event, the International Olympic Committee's vote for the city that will host the 2018 Winter Olympics. How did the head of the House of Grimaldi make it onto the IOC? By racing bobsled in the 1985 Winter Olympics and offering his blingy principality for various IOC affairs ever since.
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This Olympic function marks another sports first: the 123 rd IOC gathering is the first ever to be held on African soil. Durban itself had been competing against rival Cape Town for a South African bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympics until the South African government took to heart the message from the recent local elections and vowed to put resources toward popular demands for improved service delivery. South Africa's IOC executive board member Sam Ramsamy feels that South Africa still has a shot at hosting the 2018 games, but that's a dream most would attribute to the heady mood of the month.
This sporty July takes Africans back to last year's successful hosting of the FIFA World Cup, although the presence of FIFA President Sepp Blatter at the IOC affair also brings memories of the $6-billion estimated to have been diverted from national priorities to soccer and tourism promotion. But it's "winter" in Durban, with warm sunny weather the norm and still more sports to come this month.
The focus is now on nearby Ballito beach, up the north coast from Durban, where the Mr Price Pro surfing event is under way. A cold front has not only the groupies shivering in their bikinis but it's brought massive surf. Crowds are marveling at waves as huge as 3 meters for this top fixture on the world professional surfing circuit.
