Several 1st and 2nd round matches for the FIFA™ World Cup in 2010 are due to take place at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace in Rustenberg. As I was lucky enough to spend 3 weeks travelling around South Africa six years ago with one of those weeks spent in Rustenberg, I thought I’d share my experiences.
I stayed at Authentique, a French Guest House set in peaceful surroundings in what I assume was once farmland. It is ran by a delightful French couple who really went out of their way to accommodate us. It can only be described as a little slice of paradise kept hidden from the world: Authentique. Best of all for football fans it is only 6km away from the Royal Bafokeng Sports Stadium so it is well worth taking a look.
It wouldn’t be right to travel all the way to Rustenberg just for the football, so its also worth mentioning the many attractions which can be found in the area. First and foremost it is only a short distance away from Sun city, the luxury casino & waterpark resort. I was only 20 at the time, and along with my mum and 14 year old sister my dad had us all running from one side of Suncity to the other to catch a show. 5 minutes into the show and I discovered why; Sun city is also famous for its shows containing topless women! Well worth a look and actually so tasteful as to be suitable for all the family, if a little quirky! Sun city then lies adjacent to the huge Pilanesberg Game Reserve. If you opt for car hire in Rustenberg then you can take yourself on a safari trip and come up close and personal to the wildlife Africa is famous for: Elephant, Rhino, Giraffe, Lion, Monkeys & Springbok.
It is also be worth mentioning the Sundown Lion Park. This was certainly a highlight of the area for me.
Described as a Lion farm by our French hosts Françoise and Alain Le Marrec, we were greeted by a very tourist friendly attraction. There was the opportunity to feed baby lion cubs and view a pride of fully grown adults from behind a simple fence, but the piece de resistance was the opportunity to enter a cage containing several lions and have my pic taken holding one! Not fully grown, but nonetheless with paws the size of dinner plates!
Anyway, thats my input 
I’m not a big football fan myself, so for more on that check out the excellent guide to following England at the World Cup in 2010 over at travelsupermarket.com.
wow! big plans! good luck.
Sounds like you had a great trip to South Africa! I’d love to go to South Africa especially this summer during the World Cup – thought hat siad it looks a quality destination at any time of the year. Nice pic with the little cat.
Most of the bookmarkers for the World Champion 2010 are saying Spain will win the title. But usually it isn’t the big favourite that will win the tournament, so I think Brasil come through to take the cup.