South Africa whipped itself into a World Cup frenzy yesterday as tens of thousands of fans cheered the national side through Johannesburg and the holders Italy flew in to defend their crown.<br /><br />  <table style="width: 67px; height: 42px" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="67" align="right" border="1">  <tbody>  <tr>  <td><img alt="" src="/imagedata/2010/jun/fans1.jpg" border="0" /></td></tr>  <tr>  <td>  <p align="center"><span style="font-size: 8pt">South Africans hit the streets of Johannesburg during lunch break on Vuvuzela Day to celebrate the FIFA World Cup yesterday</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table>Two days before the kick-off, crowds turned the streets of the Sandton business district into a cacophonous sea of yellow and green, honking ear-splitting vuvuzela horns as the team waved at them from an open-top bus.<br /><br />There were similar scenes throughout Johannesburg, as office workers left their buildings and lined the streets to blow vuvuzelas and wave South African flags, as passing cars tooted their horns.<br /><br />Some wore clown wigs in national colours, and others had makarapas   ufffd hard hats carved and painted into the shape of footballers and flags.<br /><br />Schoolchildren were dismissed at midday for a special month-long World Cup holiday, bringing many youngsters onto the sidewalk with their parents for the festivities.<br /><br />"It means a lot to us," Bafana Bafana midfielder Siphiwe Tshabalala told reporters. "We just have to get out there and down onto the field and make the nation and ourselves proud."<br /><br />The noise from the vuvuzelas, set to become one of the main talking points of the tournament, drowned out all conversation   ufffd including attempts by television journalists to deliver reports to their studio. Thousands also poured into the streets of Cape Town to answer a call on the radio to blow their vuvuzelas at lunchtime. "It was a national call to have a vuvuzela moment," said Zanele Ntuli.

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South Africa whipped itself into a World Cup frenzy yesterday as tens of thousands of fans cheered the national side through Johannesburg and the holders Italy flew in to defend their crown.

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