JOHANNESBURG – There was a dark mystique about the road to Rustenburg well before I even set foot on it.

It's treacherous, I was warned by friends in Johannesburg. Wild animals wander on it at will, and crime – car-jacking, in particular – is rife. Don’t even think about driving after dark, and if you do, don't stop!

Photo by EPA/KIM LUDBROOK

South African fans enjoy the FIFA Fan Fest in Sandton during their group match against France in Johannesburg on June 22.

A few days later, I was on that road in the middle of the night, after reporting on a late World Cup soccer match in Rustenburg. Hotels were full, and we had an early-morning appointment in Johannesburg, two to three hours away.

I was navigating a rental car down dark and largely deserted roads with the help of a GPS, half expecting its monotonous tone to kick in with: "At the sight of a wildebeest, swerve left." Or, "When the gunman steps out, hand over your cash and car keys."

Short on gas, I had to stop at a deserted garage. I could see the silhouettes of people moving inside the garage shop. I stepped nervously inside, and immediately felt like a complete fool.

There was a party atmosphere among the staff, as they argued among themselves – then with us – about the soccer match, while sorting through early editions of newspapers plastered with World Cup images. One of them blasted a vuvuzela.

It was four o'clock in the morning, and the World Cup party was still swinging on this lonely outpost on the Rustenburg road.

Of course we got back safely to Johannesburg, and with hindsight, the paranoia about crime, like most of the other concerns over South Africa's ability to host a successful World Cup were overblown.

Like most people who made the journey to South Africa, I'd heard about the country's horrendous crime and security problems, and had read predictions of open season on gullible soccer fans.

In reality, there has been some crime, of course, mostly petty. But for the most part, the massive World Cup crime wave was a bigger non-event than the performances of the English or French soccer teams.

Policing was beefed up, particularly in areas fans frequented, and special World Cup courts were set up to administer swift justice, though they've hardly been busy – less than 180 cases at the last count.

There were plenty of naysayers ahead of the tournament, doubting South Africa's readiness or ability to stage the event.

Instead it's been well run, a great party, with a very unique flavor and sound (those vuvuzelas!) of its own.

Photo by RAJESH JANTILAL/AFP/Getty Images

Supporters of Spain play the vuvuzela at the end of the World Cup semi-final football match Germany vs. Spain on July 7 in Durban. Spain defeated Germany 1-0.

And wither apartheid?
I'd done plenty of homework before heading to South Africa, which left me wondering whether 16 years after the first multi-racial elections, the post-apartheid euphoria was wearing off? Racial inequality remains stark, corruption is rife, going to the heart of the ruling African National Congress (ANC). I wondered whether the dreams of the rainbow nation were beginning to fade.

But there too I found encouragement on the road to Rustenburg, the world's platinum capital. The fast-growing city sits on enormous riches, but is surrounded by townships, some with only the most basic facilities.

But close to the city's soccer stadium, on the outskirts of town, simple dwellings had been turned by their entrepreneurial owners into bars and cafes, packed with soccer fans, old young, black and white, some waiting for the game, others packed around television sets in crowded living rooms.

A young white South African couple told me it was the first time they'd been into a township and eaten "township food."

"The World Cup is really bringing South Africans together," they gushed.

You heard that so often, it almost became a cliché. But it also appears to be true.

One columnist in today's Mail & Guardian, a leading South African paper, said the World Club has brought a "social revolution." He said nobody expected the World Cup to trigger such "an outpouring of nationalistic fervor, or touch as many people from the country's many different race groups."

And that's certainly the way it felt as we were immersed in a noisy, friendly and multi-racial exuberance – from shops and taxis to bars, restaurants and the vast fan zones set up to view the games.

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There was another lesson, too, on that Rustenburg road.

We'd spent an earlier night at a sprawling guest house, "just up the road." It turned out to be an hour and a half out of town, and was run by a white Afrikaner couple.

They were perfectly polite, but just off their dining room they had built what can best be described as a shrine to apartheid. It included the old apartheid-era flag and a big portrait of Hendrik Verwoerd, the man often described as the "architect of apartheid."

I was worried this would offend Gu Gu, our black South African coordinator, or our (black) driver Colin. Although I learned later that their biggest worry had been that it might offend me.

It wasn't that they didn't care, they just found it rather quaint – and ultimately irrelevant.

They were more amused than angry. They, and their South Africa, have moved on. And in their own way Gu Gu and Colin represented the confident new face of post-apartheid South Africa, that is increasingly asserting itself, proud that its children are growing up largely colorblind.

There's speculation that Nelson Mandela, credited with bringing the World Cup to South Africa, may attend Sunday’s final. He wasn't able to be at the opening game because the tragic death in a car accident of his great granddaughter.

For millions of South Africans, of all races, that would be a fairytale ending to a great World Cup.

Nobody I met is minimizing the challenges facing South Africa, but for all that, there is an enormous desire to make post-apartheid South Africa work. And hosting the biggest sports event on the planet has enabled South Africans of all races and backgrounds to proclaim that loudly to the world.

SLIDESHOW: Around the globe: Soccer fans react to the World Cup on TV

DAMDORYN, South Africa – The most common question David Jones gets asked is: "Are you completely mad?"

It's not hard to understand why, since the 44-year-old British carpenter is currently trying to break a world record by sharing a room for four months with 40 of the world's most venomous snakes.

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"It's a challenge," he told me. "People die all the time when they climb Mount Everest. But that doesn't put them off. This, if you like, is my Mount Everest. I've always wanted to come and sit here with snakes."

We'd come across Jones while traveling back from Rustenburg to Johannesburg, after watching Ghana defeat the U.S. in the World Cup. You couldn't miss the signs by the roadside: "World Record Attempt in Progress!"

Jones's sparsely-furnished room was at the back of a snake farm, part of the Chameleon Cultural Village.

We found him sitting in front of a laptop computer, updating his website (www.snakeman.co.za) and contemplating making a cup of tea, though that would require some care, since a cobra had taken up residence in the cupboard with his tea bags.

"I had a cobra try to strike at me the other day, while I was making a cup of tea."

He has a bed and small bathroom. The room has windows on three sides to afford a better view to visitors.

His roommates include puff adders, snouted cobras, boomslangs and green and black mambas. "Collectively they are very, very dangerous. They would all put you in hospital. And untreated most of them will kill you," he said.

What intrigued me most, though, was the television, tuned in to World Cup soccer. Two snakes were lying on top of the satellite and another on top of the TV appeared to be watching the game.

"They seem to watch the movement," Jones said. "But snakes are deaf, so they can't hear the vuvuzelas, which is just as well. I wouldn't want the snakes driven insane by that constant sound."

Photo by Ian Williams/NBC News

David Jones takes a photo of one of his venomous roommates.

Jones has to contain his own excitement, since any sudden movement would attract his housemates.

He’s been a snake enthusiast since he was a boy. "I do remember finding my first snake when I was ten, and taking it to my house. I was delighted. I kept that snake until it died three or four years later."

He says he has to be extra careful of the puff adders. "They move around slowly on the floor. The real danger is treading on them. It's a nasty, nasty venom…They do like my shoes. It’s a nice dark hole."

The current snake-room sharing record is held by South African Martin Smith, also known as Mad Martin, who spent 113 days sharing a room with snakes. Another attempt to break the record failed last year; the challenger was hospitalized twice after being bitten by a puff adder and them a cobra.

Jones does have a nighttime "minder" who sits in the room and keeps the snakes away from his bed while he sleeps.

"Providing I keep my wits about me, providing I do the basics, move around slowly and do look before I move my feet, there's no reason in the world why anything should happen to me," he said.

Assuming he makes it through to August, the target, his wife and young son will travel to Johannesburg for the final days.

A cheer went up from the television, nearly a goal. A long green snake was looking intently at the screen. Jones resisted any attempt to applaud. "I'm not such a soccer man, really." Which is probably a good thing given the circumstances.

Related link: Snakes alive! Those jeans may save your life

JOHANNESBURG – While the world’s soccer stars have been wowing fans on the field, off the pitch, politicians and former presidents have been doing their own fancy footwork – to try to win bids to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

A who’s who list of politicians, billionaires, sports icons and royalty from all over the world have been visiting South Africa to pitch their respective countries for hosting privileges (and, of course, take in some World Cup action).

Photo by Phil Cole/Getty Images

Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Vice President Joe Biden attend the 2010 FIFA World Cup opening match between South Africa and Mexico on June 11 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Among the bidders is the U.S., which hosted the contest in 1994. Since applications began in January 2009, 11 bids representing 13 countries (Belgium/Netherlands and Spain/Portugal offered joint bids) have announced. Two of those countries, Mexico and Indonesia, have since pulled out.

Bidding for the World Cup is a long, cumbersome process and the competition is fierce. Though some South Africans question the value of hosting the event, the staggering economic benefit – "revenue like 12 Super Bowls" as one American newspaper put it – is enough to draw strong interest from almost any country.

A study commissioned by the USA Bid Committee found that the World Cup could potentially bring the 12 suggested American host cities anywhere from $400 to $600 million each and create a total of 65,000 to 100,000 new jobs.

Star spangled support
Since the U.S. bid was announced back in 2007, it has been strengthened by the support of prominent politicians such as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. President Barack Obama even invited FIFA president Sepp Blatter to the White House last July to lend his support for the U.S. bid, reportedly reminiscing about playing soccer as a boy in Indonesia.

Hollywood heavyweights Brad Pitt, Spike Lee, Morgan Freeman and sports greats Oscar De La Hoya, Mia Hamm and current U.S. team star Landon Donovan have also lent their names and time to the cause.

Vice President Joe Biden launched America’s high profile wooing in South Africa earlier this month when he met with Blatter while attending the opening ceremony and America’s first match, against England.

"About 25 million Americans are playing soccer. Eighty percent of those folks are young kids, which means it's only going to grow in the United States," said Biden on the official U.S. Bid Committee’s website. "I'm hopeful that we have a real clear shot then by the end of this year we’re going to be picked as the site for one of the next World Cups."

And former President Bill Clinton made ripples both here and back in the U.S. when he joined the American team for a post victory locker room Budweiser. Much of his time here has been spent lobbying for the World Cup in his role as honorary chairman for the U.S. Bid Committee. He has even extended his visit to watch the U.S. play Ghana on Saturday.

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Former President Bill Clinton celebrates the U.S. World Cup victory over Algeria with American player Carlos Bocanegra. The photo originally appeared on Bocanegra's Facebook page.

After the headaches involved in preparing South Africa and Brazil (the 2014 host) – two countries initially lacking the infrastructure required to host the World Cup – many believe FIFA is looking for a country that already has many of the stadiums and logistical foundations in place, a qualification that Clinton believes makes the U.S. a favorite.

"It's good for us, actually because we won't have to spend a fortune to get ready for it," said Clinton at a press conference here earlier this week.

The U.S. bid has been buoyed by Major League Soccer’s growing popularity and a strong legacy from when it hosted the 1994 Cup, which drew over 3.5 million spectators and average match attendance of 68,991.

Strong competition from Europe
The U.S. bid faces most competition from Europe, with many insiders believing a European country will win the 2018 bid, leaving 2022 to the Americans. In particular, the English and Russian bids have come to the forefront, especially after Blatter allegedly said that joint bids would not be viewed as favorably as single nation ones.

The Russians took advantage of the 60 FIFA Congress in Johannesburg earlier this month to make a strong case for Russia’s first World Cup. Representing their delegation were a slew of well-known Russian soccer stars and billionaire Roman Abramovich, who owns one of England’s most prominent teams, Chelsea.

Meanwhile, the English have relied heavily on the charms of global soccer icon David Beckham, who has been here for most of the month promoting the English bid. He was recently joined by Princes William and Harry, who combined a charity-promoting trip to several African countries with a World Cup visit.

Though the royals have been met with great fanfare and delight by FIFA, the all-star cast has been forced to smooth over several scandals that have rocked the English Organizing Committee as of late. Nevertheless, many believe that with a strong soccer infrastructure in place already thanks to its lucrative Premier League, the English bid represents the strongest technical bid in its class.

As reviled as the vuvuzela may be in the rest of the world, for journalists here in South Africa, these maligned instruments are often a handy herald of events just happened.

We were at Pretoria’s Eersterust Stadium today watching the U.S. team’s final training before its Wednesday clash against Algeria when the area surrounding the stadium was enveloped in the loud, excited groan of vuvuzelas.

A fast-typing, Blackberry-equipped reporter barked out the news: “South Africa scored! ‘Bafana Bafana’ 1, France 0.”

Rushing out of the stadium to find a place to watch the game and soak up the atmosphere of South Africa’s do-or-die match against France, vuvuzelas and car horns erupted again as our driver yelled out jubilantly, “Bafana Bafana 2, France 0, the impossible is happening!”

At a nearby restaurant awash in fans dressed in yellow jerseys and South African flags, we watched on edge of seat as South Africa battled to the brink of qualification for a slot in the “Round of 16” – a feat every World Cup hosting nation has accomplished in the tournament’s 80-year history.

In the odd calculus that is World Cup Group standings, South Africa needed to defeat the 1998* World Cup champions, France, by at least three goals and have the other group game between Mexico and Uruguay not end in a draw in order to ensure safe passage to the next round.

The various mechanisms in motion led to an at times curious, albeit confusing, melange of sounds in the crowded bar as some fans kept a radio tuned to a station that was switching every five minutes between coverage of the South Africa and Mexico matches. Fans intermittently cheered every South African strike on goal, booed each perceived French foul not called and willed both Mexico and Uruguay to score first, which Uruguay finally obliged to the relief of 48 million South Africans in the 43^rd minute.

South Africa’s hopes took a hit when the French found the net in the 70^th minute and were finally dashed when the final whistle blew, the nation's team two goals shy of the magic number needed for advancement. A mixture of polite applause and glum looks filled the dining room floor as fans took stock of how Bafana Bafana had failed and succeeded:

Though eliminated from the tournament, “The Boys” had also come up with their first victory ever against a once-dominant soccer nation like France.

Unpredictability name of the game
It is a fate that many other traditional soccer powerhouses now fear as the final days of group play begin. Like France, both defending champion Italy and traditional powerhouse England find themselves in the unfamiliar position of having to win their last group game to proceed to the next round.

In particular, England, wrought with controversy and outright mutiny, faces a similar fate met by the French on tomorrow night in their critical final match against Slovenia, as once loyal fans turn on them and the excuses increasingly get more ridiculous.

It is the curious state of affairs in this World Cup that has created a feeling of uncertainty for soccer fans not seen in sometime.

Prior to today’s start of the final matches of group play, it was noted that of the eight teams on the top of their respective groups, half of them could conceivably not be one of the top two teams in their pool and thus eliminated from the tournament.

Meanwhile, a gritty U.S. squad will find itself looking up and to its side in the standings tomorrow afternoon when it faces Algeria in another make-or-break match. Like the English, the Americans need to beat a winless, but plucky Algerian team to ensure its place in the second round.

In an interview with NBC News yesterday, star striker Landon Donovan spoke about the mood of the team in the lead-up to the big match, saying, “The team is happy and relaxed. I think everybody is excited for Wednesday night.”

“We feel like we can still play better, which is good to know, and we have one game to advance in a World Cup and that’s really special.”

*This post originally had France as the 2002 World Cup winner, they won in 1998.

JOHANNESBURG – I was sitting in a restaurant in Nelson Mandela Square, in Johannesburg's upscale Sandton district, when the crowd outside was parted by a phalanx of beefy, humorless security men, making way for a balding man in a suit, grinning from ear to ear.

At first I wondered whether it was one of the many heads of state that have graced the World Cup, perhaps one of the less glamorous international royals.

But no, this was a man who during this soccer month is much more powerful than any of them: Sepp Blatter, the head of the empire called FIFA, the organizer of the competition. And for many people here that is beginning to rankle.

One newspaper columnist this week called him a "traveling despot." Others have attacked what they call FIFA's "avarice and crass commercialism."

The immediate catalyst for all the negative comments was the treatment of 36 young blond women in orange mini-skirts, sent into Soccer City Stadium by a Dutch owned brewery for the Netherlands-Denmark game.

FIFA considered the display to be ambush advertising, and they were removed from the stadium. Two were later arrested. The logo of the brewer was hardly visible, but that didn't seem to matter.

The charges have now been dropped, but the irony is that the arrests have given the beer company more publicity than they could ever have imagined, prompting the president of the company to write to Blatter thanking him for the free and effective advertising.

Earlier this year, a local low-cost airline was forced to withdraw an advertising campaign that boasted it was the "unofficial National Carrier of the You-Know-What."

FIFA derives vast sums of money – over a billion dollars by some estimates – from marketing and advertising rights, and aggressively pursues anybody who tries to associate themselves with the World Cup without paying.

Which I guess is fair enough, up to a point. But FIFA is so vigorous that – as with the beer girls – its efforts to control things become silly and counter-productive.

Most annoying for me is the sheer in-your-face, FIFA-promoted crass commercialism that surrounds much of the World Cup.

I was at a fan park in Rustenburg the other day, watching the U.S.-England game. The park and all its tents were decked out in the red of Coca-Cola, one of the biggest of the World Cup sponsors, who has the exclusive right to sell soft drinks in FIFA venues.

Before the game, and at the break, an announcer paced along the large stage with thumping music. "When I say Coca, you say ….." To which the large crown of mostly township kids was supposed to respond "Cola!"

This went on and on to the point that I just wanted to walk into one of those red tents and demand a Pepsi. But I wasn’t sure Mr. Blatter would see the funny side of that.

JOHANNESBURG – When the South African team took the field against Uruguay Wednesday, the match carried not just the soccer dreams of millions, but the historical weight of events that happened here 34 years ago today.

In June 1976, racial tensions among South African students were at a breaking point. Already desperately underfunded because the Bantu Education Act of 1953 cut government funding to predominantly black schools, students were fuming over a new law forcing schools to abandon teaching in native tongues like Zulu in favor of Afrikaans and English.

While many black South Africans could stomach English because it had become an increasingly popular language for business, the forced use of Afrikaans – the language of the ruling white minority – was too much to bear.

In protest, on June 16, 1976, thousands of black students and teachers in the Johannesburg township of Soweto organized a peaceful march to Orlando Stadium (just a few miles south of Soccer City stadium, the site of the World Cup’s opening and closing matches) to air their grievances.

How the violence started remains a source of historical debate, but what followed was a short and intense engagement between youthful protesters and South African police that blew the lid off the long-simmering racial tension in Soweto.

In the ensuing rioting and occupation of the township by the South African Army, hundreds of black students were killed – including 13-year-old Hector Pieterson. A photograph of a demonstrator carrying away Pieterson’s body caused international outrage and galvanized the anti-apartheid movement.

The tragic events of the "The Soweto Uprisings" inspired students to align themselves with the African National Congress, the future political party of Nelson Mandela.

The anniversary is now commemorated annually as Youth Day – which today coincided with South Africa’s second game in the World Cup.

The symbolism of how far the country has come since the dark days of apartheid was not lost on South African team captain Aaron Mokoena. "This is a day which all South Africans remember," Mokoena said before the game. "Playing this match on this day means a lot to us as players, and some of us would not have been here were it not for the sacrifices of many who came before us."

Despite a 3-0 loss to Uruguay, the fact that a team of black South Africans were center stage paid tribute to what the townships brought to the nation so many years ago.