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!

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

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

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

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

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

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