The TV remote control has become the nerve center of power in homesteads across the Waterberg, due to massive coverage of the Soccer World Cup in Russia.
Husbands and wives have to find the middle ground in terms of watching prime time soap operas on the one hand, and huge supplies of soccer matches on the other.
The BEAT has established during a snap survey on Monday 18 June that many housewives — who may not necessarily understand what Russia 2018 was all about — were frustrated at missing out on some of their favourite prime time programmes.
Social media — tongue-in-cheek, of course — was as of Monday abuzz with creative images of, among others, a pistol placed next to the remote control as a “don’t touch” kind of warning!
Precious Manaka of Pienaarsriver said she and her husband, Victor, have had differences when it came to the World Cup.
“I only watch it sometimes because it bores me, and I do not even understand it,” she said.
Manaka further said she got even more annoyed when a match was fixtured at the same time as her favourite soapies.
Vaalwater’s Lucy Moruwe said she only watched Russia 2018 because her husband did.
She said it was only when he was not around that she was able to tune into her favourite programmes.
“I only give in because he is the head of the family … I do it out of respect. Personally I am not into soccer,” she said.
Francinah Mogotlane of Mookgophong said she did not understand or like soccer, and therefore did not watch it at all.
She said when her partner was around and tuned into the soccer, she found something else to keep her busy instead of watching the “boring show”.
Katlego Radebe of Modimolle said she was not a soccer fan.
To the contrary, Die Pos/The Post editor, Keina Swart, declared she and her entire family were great fans of the game of soccer.
Rewind back to South Africa 2010.
At the time shopfloor workers at a retail store watched with disbelief as Keina’s son, Daneel, then six-years-old, kicked up a storm insisting that his parents buy him a vuvuzela.
Daneel’s dad, Niel, was nudged into finding a compromise with Daneel; whether to purchase the very noisy vuvuzela or not.
The solution, accordning to Keina, was that Daneel and other visiting kids would be allowed to blow their eardrum-shattering vuvuzela only when Bafana Bafana scored a goal.
Enter Siphiwe Tshabalala with that sublime opening match goal against Mexico, and Daneel and other kids were running up and down in the house, blowing up a storm on their favourite wind instrument!
As for Russia 2018, Keina has proudly disclosed the family were decorating the house in the colours of their favourite team at the tournament.
Mom and dad were even sipping Vodka, to support Russia as a host.
The family’s longtime friend, Dr Gerhard Grobler, and his family were planning to join in the Swart’s in the soccer fun.
— The BEAT
