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Rustenburg - The sleepy mining town of Rustenburg, better known for platinum than sport, bade an emotional farewell to the World Cup finals on Sunday.
After four weeks of intermittent football fever, and occasional nights when dreams were shattered to the wail of vuvuzuelas, "Rusty" ended its host city status following Ghana's flag-waving arrival, on behalf of all Africa, in the quarter-finals.
While fans of both Ghana and the United States, who were beaten 2-1 on Saturday by the west Africans, swapped tales of late night parties following their thrilling contest at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium, a small army of technicians and volunteers were dismantling desks, offices and media facilities nearby.
"It has been a wonderful experience for us," said Liyanda Mqhum, a student volunteer. "This has given everyone so much fun - and work. I don't think we will ever forget it."
Ole, another volunteer, said she was only looking forward to returning to her media studies in Johannesburg because the World Cup experience had made her decide to travel to Europe for more.
Rustenburg was rarely a hot-bed of World Cup fever during the tournament, but as the town closest to England's remote base camp and a venue for five first round games and one second round clash it became entranced by its colourful and strange visitors.
International visitors
"We are the remote dormitory town at this World Cup," said Alna van der Walt, a guest house owner. "Normally we have a lot of week-to-week workers in the mines who come to stay. Tourists hardly ever come here.
"The mining workers go to bed early and they get up early and they go away at weekends. We hardly ever serve breakfast as late as nine. But now, it goes on until 10 or even 11! Everything changed."
"People have come for the matches and stayed one or two nights - and then gone back to Johannesburg or Pretoria, or wherever it was."
"And that has meant we have had people staying here from all over the world - we had Americans and English, New Zealanders and Australians, Mexicans and Uruguayans and also people from South Korea and Japan."
"It has been a complete change to our normal lives - you can say that!"
'Not that kind of place'
Van der Walt said more than 250 guest houses had opened in Rustenburg - where the joke has been that it is the only World Cup host city that is really a town - in readiness for the football invasion.
"People turned garages into bedrooms and built extensions," she said. "I imagine a lot of them will never be used again. This is just a mining town and most of the time it is very quiet and nothing really happens."
"This has been a big change for us. Now, when everyone has gone, it will feel like nobody is here anymore!"
Julian, a chef, said he had been to the town's fan park to support South Africa and for one other game. "But," he said, "it was too cold to stay there. Apart from the Bafana Bafana games, not many people went at all."
According to him, the town that became a host city will revert again to living up to the meaning of its name - place of rest.
"In Rusteburg, you see, we just don't go out much. It's not that kind of place. Everyone just goes to bed early - and I guess that is how it is going to be again now."
After four weeks of intermittent football fever, and occasional nights when dreams were shattered to the wail of vuvuzuelas, "Rusty" ended its host city status following Ghana's flag-waving arrival, on behalf of all Africa, in the quarter-finals.
While fans of both Ghana and the United States, who were beaten 2-1 on Saturday by the west Africans, swapped tales of late night parties following their thrilling contest at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium, a small army of technicians and volunteers were dismantling desks, offices and media facilities nearby.
"It has been a wonderful experience for us," said Liyanda Mqhum, a student volunteer. "This has given everyone so much fun - and work. I don't think we will ever forget it."
Ole, another volunteer, said she was only looking forward to returning to her media studies in Johannesburg because the World Cup experience had made her decide to travel to Europe for more.
Rustenburg was rarely a hot-bed of World Cup fever during the tournament, but as the town closest to England's remote base camp and a venue for five first round games and one second round clash it became entranced by its colourful and strange visitors.
International visitors
"We are the remote dormitory town at this World Cup," said Alna van der Walt, a guest house owner. "Normally we have a lot of week-to-week workers in the mines who come to stay. Tourists hardly ever come here.
"The mining workers go to bed early and they get up early and they go away at weekends. We hardly ever serve breakfast as late as nine. But now, it goes on until 10 or even 11! Everything changed."
"People have come for the matches and stayed one or two nights - and then gone back to Johannesburg or Pretoria, or wherever it was."
"And that has meant we have had people staying here from all over the world - we had Americans and English, New Zealanders and Australians, Mexicans and Uruguayans and also people from South Korea and Japan."
"It has been a complete change to our normal lives - you can say that!"
'Not that kind of place'
Van der Walt said more than 250 guest houses had opened in Rustenburg - where the joke has been that it is the only World Cup host city that is really a town - in readiness for the football invasion.
"People turned garages into bedrooms and built extensions," she said. "I imagine a lot of them will never be used again. This is just a mining town and most of the time it is very quiet and nothing really happens."
"This has been a big change for us. Now, when everyone has gone, it will feel like nobody is here anymore!"
Julian, a chef, said he had been to the town's fan park to support South Africa and for one other game. "But," he said, "it was too cold to stay there. Apart from the Bafana Bafana games, not many people went at all."
According to him, the town that became a host city will revert again to living up to the meaning of its name - place of rest.
"In Rusteburg, you see, we just don't go out much. It's not that kind of place. Everyone just goes to bed early - and I guess that is how it is going to be again now."
