Financial guru's plush Jozi pad

Oprah's financial guru Suze Orman has splashed out R9-million on her saffalicious Joburg flat. Orman, who is reportedly looking to make South Africa her home base, says she bought in Northcliff for "the same reason I invested in the number one property markets in the United States ... position, position and position."

And what did the Saffa-wannabe have to say about Mzansi?

"I like it here a lot. I see the potential here, and here is where it's at.... Johannesburg is the hub. It is where it is happening."

'I'm here in Botswana, South Africa'

Kim Kardashian, who fancies herself as a bit of a reality TV star, is in South Africa on a trip to visit the charities supported by hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons. It's a pity Ms Kardashian didn't bother to read up on the country before touching down. Yesterday she apparently tweeted "We are here in Botswana, South Africa" but after her followers gave her flak, she corrected herself saying "people thought I though Botswana was South Africa. I do know the difference! There is no direct flight from Botswana. Always a stop in JohannesBERG".
Let's hope she gets the right country (and spelling) when it comes to writing out those charitable cheques.

Will 2010 tourists be safe?

A blogger for the well-respected Guardian website wrote a piece that was rather sensational (not in a good way) about why coming to South Africa for the World Cup "terrifies" her. Louise Taylor, "north-east football correspondent" for the publication, went on to suggest that the event should have been held in Egypt, of all places, instead.

She used the Confederations Cup to remind her readers that players from both the Egyptian and Brazilian teams returned to their hotel rooms to find they had been robbed. Erm yes, something here does ring a bell.

Then Ms Taylor names another very important deterrent: Aids. "Considering that prostitutes always prosper during World Cups, you do not need to be a rocket scientist to detect the looming dangers," she writes. You also don't need to be a rocket scientist to know that condoms prevent the transfer of many an STD and then there is the minor matter of prostitution still being illegal in South Africa.

Keen to hear more drivel? "Yes, it would have been very hot and it would, in places, have been dirty and ultra-chaotic, but it would also have been friendly and welcoming." What she fails to point out is that hot equals a maximum temperature of 50°C in Aswan (according to the Lonely Planet) and Saffas are very friendly and welcoming - to people who don't diss their country at every available opportunity.

On the subject of crime, although the crime rate in Egypt isn't higher than many other places in the world, "terrorist acts against foreign tourists in 1997 to 2006 resulted in a great many deaths, and have led to the government giving security the highest possible priority. This can be annoying for travellers, as convoys and tourist-police escorts can be a real drag".

And the pick of the bad bunch of Taylor's tosh? "I've never been but would love to ..." One would think that a blogger for the Guardian would know how not to kill her own argument... On a more serious note though, these are the sort of musings that saffagettes are up against - people who have never been to the country yet who have already formed a negative opinion, which is probably based on the whinings of the many whingers who don't live here any more and who, secretly, would love to come home.

So, will 2010 tourists be safe? An experienced guess says yes - as long as they don't leave thousands of rands lying around on their hotel-room bedside tables and take the local sex workers to these rooms.

Kruger - it's too late for 2010 bookings

It seems as though the Big Five is more famous than Maroon 5 (those whining wannabes from the States who graced Saffas with their presence at the end of last year).
Tourists who were keen to slot the Kruger Park into their 2010 holiday are going to be disappointed - apparently the game reserve is already fully booked. The Times reports that all 24 camps were booked out by 9.30am on July 1, the day reservations opened. According to a South African National Parks spokesperson, reservations opened at 7.30am and the reserve's call centre fielded 5,000 bookings and 500 emails.
Now that's almost as fast as bookings for some really good rock concert.