A SOUTH Africa-based Christian church that claims its followers invented the vuvuzela 100 years ago has struck a compensation deal with the owner of a local company that trademarked the plastic horn ahead of the World Cup.
On Monday the Shembe Church, a four-million-strong ministry that mixes Zulu culture and Christianity, reached an agreement with Neil van Schalkwyk of Masincedane Sports, who commercialised the horn, in which the latter agreed to contribute to a fund that helps impoverished church members.
While details of the local deal have not yet been made public, Shembe spokesman Enoch Mthembu said they were satisfied. However, he warned that his church would take legal action against the “illegal” manufacture of the instrument abroad.
Like it or loathe it, the vuvuzela has become one of the hallmarks of the 2010 Fifa World Cup in South Africa, with matchgoing fans buying hundreds of thousands of the plastic horns to blow at games across the country and create an atmospheric drone.
Most of the vuvuzelas being used in South Africa at the World Cup were made in China, and as the horns’ popularity has grown during the tournament, it is expected manufacturers around the world will start to produce it in an effort to cash in at future events.
“We have the right to choose a partner [Masincedane], and to close other companies manufacturing the vuvuzela. They’ve taken that instrument from our members and converted it into plastic as a quick way of making money,” Mr Mthembu told South Africa’s Daily Dispatch newspaper.
According to Mr Mthembu, the vuvuzela was first introduced by a prophet in 1910, and ever since has been used by their church during singing and dancing in religious ceremonies, for healing sick people and scaring demons.
The original instrument invented by the Shembe, said Mr Mthembu, was made from wood, and although the church has no problem with the way people are currently playing it, there is another way that does not create the incessant hornet-like drone being heard across South Africa.
“When we play it our way, the whole thing is a world show, spectacular. The noise is not irritating,” Mr Mthembu said.
Meanwhile, local tourism bosses heaved a sigh of relief yesterday when the first official figures related to the World Cup estimated that South Africa would rake in nearly €2.5 billion from visitors during the month-long event.
“We believe that we couldn’t do better,” Roshene Singh from SA Tourism told reporters at a daily media briefing hosted by Fifa at Soccer City in Johannesburg.
Ms Singh added that the occupancy figures for the host cities were also “looking good”, with Johannesburg sitting at 85 per cent full, while Durban and Cape Town occupancy was at between 60 and 70 per cent.
Feedback from international visitors who have taken part in Tourism SA surveys over the last two weeks has revealed that most people are having a good experience, and are somewhat surprised about how good the country’s infrastructure is.