Editor’s Note

When I began the editorship of IMPUMELELO, one of my goals was to establish a regular schedule for producing volumes of the journal.  That has proven to be much more difficult than I anticipated. Life has a way of disrupting schedules, and it certainly has here. The reasons are many – an irregular supply of publishable articles, lengthy editing and revision process, and unanticipated interruptions in the time I could spend on the journal, among others.  Patience from my editorial colleagues, flexibility on the part of the authors, and persistence in the face of life’s interruptions has eventually produced this issue of the journal.  It is still a goal to develop a regular schedule, and in 2012, I hope we can do that.
Now, let me welcome you to Volume 7 of IMPUMELELO.  The events of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa continue to resonate.  This issue has four interesting and divergent reflections of the occasion.  First is John Akude’s review of what happened to the Togolese national team in the Angola 2010 competition and why it has greater importance in Africa than just an incident in football competition.  Football and politics are clearly intertwined in his view.  Second is Siphokazi Magadla’s examination of Thabo Mbeki’s actions in winning the World Cup and whether or not it was because of his role and policies, his rhetoric and prophesy of an African rebirth. Mbeki’s legacy and the hosting of the World Cup suggest future potentials for the country. Andrew Carlson offers a much more detailed look at the impact of the World Cup.  His examination focuses on the experiences of seven commercial sex workers and their use of communications technology in anticipating the arrival of the Cup.  He is able to draw  conclusions about the connections micro-entrepreneurs posses and consider in making economic and social decision.  Finally, Eugene Cooper advances a football development model for Africa states.  Using the experiences of success in the football arena, he suggests that African states have the opportunity to achieve similar success in the political arena if they follow a similar path – his football development model.
I hope you will find these articles informative and even better stimulating.  As always, we welcome comments and suggestions.  I especially encourage you to submit articles for consideration. You can visit our web site for submission guidelines for articles: http://www.ohio.edu/ sportsafrica/journal/submission.htm.
Bob J. Walter
General Editor
walter@ohio.edu