Lone flag flies for Tsotsi

2006-03-06 22:32

Charles Smith

Los Angeles - A single South African flag waved bravely in the crowd that gathered in front of the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, where South Africa's Tsotsi had won an Oscar.

The flag not only proclaimed South Africa's pride - it was the only national flag to be seen.

Eve Fuchs of Cape Town waited for more than six hours in the hot sun in front of the theatre in Hollywood Boulevard for the stars to arrive in their limousines for the biggest event on the city's calendar.

She was one of the first people to take her place on the pavement to catch a glimpse of the Hollywood stars, even if only for a second or two.

She distributed a note through the crowd saying she had travelled especially to be there with her son, Greg Caplan of London, for the occasion.

Plenty of pushing and shoving

The long wait clearly didn't dampen her enthusiasm, as she proudly kept waving the flag.

Watching stars is definitely more difficult for a beginner than fishing.

The pushing and shoving was so bad that Los Angeles police had to ask the crowd three times to move back to prevent people from being squashed.

The only difference between watching the stars and fishing is that your chances of catching a fish are much better than being able to watch a star for longer than a second.

Fishing also doesn't break your back and you don't have to wait for five hours rooted to one spot without going for a pee.

A German girl got on to her friend's shoulders and offered to take photographs for $5 (about R30) each.

But, after a while, she almost had to pay her boyfriend to remain on his shoulders.

At least, she now and again got a glimpse of a star - not that she could always identify them.

- Beeld