<p>Dancing fans wearing the brightly painted hats made from converted plastic construction helmets, often paired with giant mock glasses, are a trademark of the South African game. <br /><br />They are sure to be a major feature of Africa's first World Cup when it starts on June 11, together with the cacophonous blast of vuvuzela trumpets which may be a secret weapon against foreign teams unable to communicate through the din. <br /><br />Former cleaner Alfred Baloyi, 52, invented the decorated helmets in 1979. A friend gave him a construction helmet for protection when watching his beloved Kaizer Chiefs soccer team, after a fellow fan was hit by a bottle. <br /><br />Baloyi, an uneducated but talented natural artist, first started painting the helmets, then adding horns and finally using a box knife to cut out elaborate stand-up designs. <br />He calls himself "the Enemy of Plastic" although his nickname from the terraces is The Magistrate. <br /><br />Baloyi, originally from northern Limpopo province, started selling a few at a time beside the road but his son and manager, Lovemore, 29, says they have since sold many thousands. <br /><br />Alfred now shuns journalists, leaving his son to talk to visitors, and concentrating on helmet designs. <br /><br />With demand booming for the humble invention ahead of the World Cup, they have opened a factory in the Wynberg area of Johannesburg where Lovemore says they are producing up to 80 makarapas a day. The Baloyis hope the exposure of makarapas during the world's most watched sporting event will turn the helmets into a global craze for international football fans. <br /><br />The shelves of the factory are stacked with helmets for various South African companies and foreign fans, with Brazil, Germany, Spain and Italy the biggest customers. <br />Prices range from 250 rand ($33) for simple South African helmets to 1,500 for the more elaborate corporate or foreign designs. <br /></p>
<p>Dancing fans wearing the brightly painted hats made from converted plastic construction helmets, often paired with giant mock glasses, are a trademark of the South African game. <br /><br />They are sure to be a major feature of Africa's first World Cup when it starts on June 11, together with the cacophonous blast of vuvuzela trumpets which may be a secret weapon against foreign teams unable to communicate through the din. <br /><br />Former cleaner Alfred Baloyi, 52, invented the decorated helmets in 1979. A friend gave him a construction helmet for protection when watching his beloved Kaizer Chiefs soccer team, after a fellow fan was hit by a bottle. <br /><br />Baloyi, an uneducated but talented natural artist, first started painting the helmets, then adding horns and finally using a box knife to cut out elaborate stand-up designs. <br />He calls himself "the Enemy of Plastic" although his nickname from the terraces is The Magistrate. <br /><br />Baloyi, originally from northern Limpopo province, started selling a few at a time beside the road but his son and manager, Lovemore, 29, says they have since sold many thousands. <br /><br />Alfred now shuns journalists, leaving his son to talk to visitors, and concentrating on helmet designs. <br /><br />With demand booming for the humble invention ahead of the World Cup, they have opened a factory in the Wynberg area of Johannesburg where Lovemore says they are producing up to 80 makarapas a day. The Baloyis hope the exposure of makarapas during the world's most watched sporting event will turn the helmets into a global craze for international football fans. <br /><br />The shelves of the factory are stacked with helmets for various South African companies and foreign fans, with Brazil, Germany, Spain and Italy the biggest customers. <br />Prices range from 250 rand ($33) for simple South African helmets to 1,500 for the more elaborate corporate or foreign designs. <br /></p>
