Vuvuzelas Banned in Gateway
22/06/10
Vuvuzelas have become a symbol of South African national pride in the last few weeks, but not everyone is loving the constant sound of the plastic trumpets. The sudden enthusiasm for the instruments, until recently confined almost entirely to soccer matches, has seen them blown everywhere from cars and on the street to bars and shopping centres.
Many shop owners and members of the public have complained about the noise generated by overzealous fans at Gateway Theatre of Shopping since the opening of the World Cup on June 11th. Now the centre's management has taken action, declaring one of the Southern hemisphere's largest malls a vuvuzela-free zone.
Public relations liaison Zahirah Variawa explained the decision, saying "Young people were going up to elderly people and blowing vuvuzelas in their ears. People started leaving restaurants and shopkeepers could not hear what customers were saying. We saw a dent in trade on Friday."
The sound of the vuvuzela has been controversial from the beginning, with many foreign fans complaining about the noise when matches are screened on tv.
What Others Said
nokwazi said
on 24 June 2010Vuvuzela has been embraced by all south africas and the world, you need to get on with the programme or lose customers