Lee Thompson's Blog

Our failed England Team!

lee — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 09:12:22 +0000

So, we loose 4-1 to the Germans and my World cup dream comes to an end. I’m gutted but I have had a great month in South Africa and I can’t wait to come back out here. The England team and the Wags went home yesterday and I’m on the next flight out of here!

Wayne Rooney heads home

John Terry's wife Toni at the Tambo Airport in Joburg last night

Joe Cole's wife Carly Zucker on her way back to London

Christine Bleakley

Disappointed England fans at the Free State Stadium

This man sums up the mood of the nation!

Children fleeing Zimbabwe

lee — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 07:52:24 +0000

I traveled to the small South African town of Musina at the border of Zimbabwe where hundreds of desperate family’s and children cross the Crocodile infested Limpopo river everyday to escape Robert Mugabe’s evil regime.
We only had one day to do this job before returning to Johannesburg so we went to the heavily patrolled river at 6am and drove past many wild Baboons before seeing two soaking wet women with babies on there backs walking through the barb wired fences. They were freezing cold and had been robbed of all their money and belongings at the Zimbabwe side so I quickly took some photographs before helping them with some cash and a phone call. They told us how they almost drowned trying to carry their children in head deep water and had nothing. It was completely unexpected and shocking to see what these people have to go through just to be able to afford food and water. I was spotted taking photographs by soldiers and was concerned that they would confiscate my cameras but instead they helped me out and posed for some photographs. I wish I could have spent longer documenting the desperate measures these people go to. All this going on while the World’s attention is on South Africa for the World Cup.

A woman and her baby arrive in South Africa after swimming the crocodile infested Limpopo river in Zimbabwe to escape Mugabe's regime

A woman and her child walk in to South Africa after escaping from Zimbabwe

A Soldier stands at the Zimbabwe border looking out for family's and children crossing the Limpopo river

A woman with her child shortly after crossing the border

A Baboon passes the border road

The Vuvuzela

lee — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 15:54:51 +0000

I managed to find out that the Archbishop Desmond Tutu was attending a school convention in Cape Town so I went along on Wednesday morning and just as he was about to leave I gave him a Sun branded vuvuzela and he happily posed with it. He was a really nice man and it was great to listen to him during a speech he made with local school children. I then found various other famous people including London Mayor Boris Johnson who also very kindly posed for pictures. Just like Desmond and Boris I fully support the vuvuzela!

Desmond Tutu with a Sun Vuvuzela

The Sun's front page

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson

World Cup fever in Cape Town

lee — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 15:33:28 +0000

I am now in Cape Town where I will be based for the duration of the World Cup. The Sun have got a fantastic open top bus with some local models and a free bar inside. It’s a tough job but somebody’s got to do it!

The Sun bus at the waterfront in Cape Town

An England fan with a Vuvuzela

One Bafana Bafana fan ahead of the Mexico match

Kill a Lion at the World Cup!

lee — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 08:52:26 +0000

Our next trip was a Lion breeding farm within the Inyala game reserve near Ventorsdorp. We drove to the gates as the sun was going down and found 16 large lions in a cage no bigger than a tennis court. All together they had 46 Lions and most were ready to be sold. I got some nice pictures, as all the tame lions seem to pose for the camera and then we spoke to the owner who told us how they could sometimes end up in the hands of hunters. The next stop was near the border of Botswana where we met a guy called Apie Reyeneke at the Serapa Safari lodge who often shoots lions with guests at his ranch. He was a nice guy but I still don’t agree with killing a Lion for fun. In fear of seeing a Lion I didn’t take too long taking the pictures!

Breeding Lions ready to be sold in a tiny cage at a game reserve

Hunter Apie Reyneke at his ranch near Botswana where he offers hunters a chance to kill a Lion

A Lion at the Inyala game lodge near Ventersdorp, South Africa

Hunter Apie Reyneke on his ranch

Witch doctors market in Johannesburg

lee — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 09:48:07 +0000

This is a tiny market under a bridge in the center of Johannesburg where ‘herbal doctors’ (sometimes known as Witch Doctor’s) sell anything from Squirrel fat to dead monkeys for use in healing and witchcraft. I met a variety of strange characters and it wasn’t to difficult to find a potion that could heal Rio’s Ferdinand’s leg consisting of donkey fat with horse, python and hippo fat! This is a great place to visit but a strong stomach is definitely needed!

Whitch Doctor Thembi Mvubu mixes a healing potion containing Ostrich, Python, horse and donkey fat

A woman who was selling animal feet at the market

Various animal fats and guts in jars

A freaky and rather scary woman at the market

Animal feet at the market

Boa Constrictor skin

Dead animal skins

FIFA World Cup, South Africa 2010

lee — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 09:24:06 +0000

The England Team come to Town…
I was asked for the Sun if I would like to go to the World Cup back in September 2009 and I was jumping up and down with delight but I then had ten long months of wait but I am now here and I am hoping to blog most of the jobs I will be covering over the next month or so. I am not with the accredited media so I will be mostly covering features and the news side of things so if Victoria Beckham turns up then that might keep me busy for a while. So far it has been super easy to get tickets and I have already managed to buy tickets for England’s matches against Algeria and Slovenia. It’s only one week until kick off…

Godfrey Moimane cheers on England outside the Cecil Tavern in Phokeng

After arriving in Johannesburg Sun reporter Oliver Harvey and I drove to the England training camp in Phokeng near Rustenburg. The England team had landed and were only hours away so we had planned to take some photographs of ‘England mania’ hitting this tiny South African village but there wasn’t any fans. In fact, I don’t think anyone new that the team were arriving. Luckily the reporter had some England shirts and flags so with a bit of creativity we soon made some fun pictures. The England team even passed a Hippo on the journey so I climbed over barbwire fence and fell in deep mud just to get a picture of its head! After all this effort, none of the pictures were used in the paper!

Two year old Atlegang Molefe outside his mothers shop near the England training camp

Isabel Mondlame cooks beef at a street stall opposite the England team hotel

A Hippo looks on as the England team bus passes it on the way to Phokeng

The gangsters, drugs and cops in Cape Town, South Africa

lee — Thu, 06 May 2010 10:23:33 +0000

The Mitchell's Plain Township in Cape Town, South Africa.

I have just spent a week in Cape Town with Sun reporter Oliver Harvey to document crime ahead of the World Cup in South Africa. We visited a rehab centre and met some ex gangsters and former drug dealers who offered to take us into the Township of Mitchell’s Plain so we could meet some of the locals. In fear of getting mugged I left all my cash and valuable items back at my hotel and then we drove to the hood with the former drug addicts, one was a mass murderer and former gang leader so I was a little nervous but felt very well protected! When we arrived at the township the lads prayed for our safety before taking us to see some men who were smoking mandrax and crystal meth. When the gang leader was high he whipped out his knife and told us how he mugs people for cash. Nice guy!
Later on in the week we were invited to join the city’s Metro cops on a busy Friday and Saturday night and we followed them as they raided various properties and found large amounts of drugs and arrested many gang members in the process. Seeing the way these people live was shocking and a real eye opener but made some great pictures. The chief of police was quoted as saying he leads the hardest gang in Cape Town and after the things I witnessed I believe him!

'The Captain' of the Americans gang smoking a deadly mix of mandrax drugs with marijuana

A man prepares some crystal meth

A young women on crystal meth

The Captain shows off his knife and bullet holes on his stomach

Former drug dealer and gang leader Morgan Lakay who claims to have murdered 14 people and shot a gang leader in the head as he begged for mercy

Cape Town's armed Metro Police officers raid a property in the Woodstock area of Cape Town, South Africa

A man is searched for drugs

A young woman hides her head in shame as Metro Police officers find drugs hidden in the wall

Terrified children hold on to there mother as police raid there property for drugs

A man is arrested for drug offences

Drugs including Heroin and Tik found by Cape Town's Metro Police officers on Friday night in the Manenberg area of Cape Town

XFactor winner Joe McElderry

lee — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:16:49 +0000

I spent an hour wondering around various wards at Great Ormond Street Hospital with XFactor winner Joe McElderry as he visited sick children.
Joe was a really nice bloke and was great with the children. I was the only photographer covering the visit so I was able to get some nice pictures.

Joe visits the kids at Great Ormond Street Hospital

Joe meets a baby called Joe

Help for Little Heroes trip to Lapland

lee — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 11:30:11 +0000

This is without doubt the hardest but most rewarding job I have done all year. Two Sun reporters and I took bereaved families with 17 children to meet Father Christmas in Lapland. All the children had recently lost their father in the war in Afghanistan so it was a long emotional day but the kids didn’t stop smiling. It was hard to get nice photographs, as it was almost pitch black by the time we arrived and I had to shoot video too. Not only that but my cameras kept icing over in minus 20 temperatures and when we finally met Santa in his nice warm office my cameras decided to steam up!
Apart from all that once I managed to get some pictures in focus the kids faces said it all…

Three year old Aidan in Lapland

Five year old Megan Matthews meets Father christmas

Help for Little Heroes at Lapland