SOCCER fever hit Durban in a big way yesterday.

Thousands of people gathered at the popular Suncoast and Entertainment World and at various venues around the province to blow their vuvuzelas as part of the nationwide five minutes show of support for the national team from noon.

Others jammed office balconies and public areas in a sea of yellow-and-green.

Upping the euphoria was the visibility of thousands of flags adorning cars, businesses and houses across the city. On the streets,\ soccer fans hooted and shouted, and if they did not have a vuvuzela handy they simply shouted.

And while millions of South Africans will not make it to actual matches, the Fifa fan parks and public viewing areas from the Durban ICC to Bridge City in KwaMashu are ready for kickoff.

In Cape Town the city centre reverberated with the blare of vuvuzelas as thousands of people took to the streets to welcome the soccer World Cup.

People sporting Bafana Bafana shirts, flags and colourful headgear flooded the streets and crowded balconies around the city.