The first is painted white and on top of the roof is a huge soccer ball with large sunglasses like soccer fans wear at games.

The second is a red model with a 4-metre vuvuzela horn above the sun roof.

The vehicles have been extended to allow 6 people to fit comfortably in the refurbished interiors.

The leather seats are decorated with colourful footballs and vuvuzelas.

Distinctly South African, both cars are brandished with the national flag.

Both ‘beetle-limos’ have been inspected by the motor vehicle department and are certified as roadworthy, Viljoen stated.

The idea behind the artistic endeavour for the four men was to express their support for Bafana Bafana in the run-up to the World Cup, not to make money out of it, they say.

“We decided to come up with something creative with a car around soccer as we all are lovers of the game,” Viljoen says.

Zivovo says their objective was to create a vibe around the World Cup and Bafana Bafana as they are staunch supporters.

“We had an urge to be participants, though not in the field of play. It was a way of expressing our passion for football.”

Viljoen says they have received criticism from a minority of the community.

“People have asked why do promote Bafana Bafana if they are not performing well? I always tell them that ‘my brother in jail is still my brother and I will always love him’.

“I will never stop supporting Bafana Bafana and they will surprise a lot of people during the tournament.”

Mugocha says he feel proud of the effort. “I am inspired by our work and cannot wait to start building our third car.”

Wellington reveals they are already thinking of how to build their next car, utilising the lessons learnt from their first efforts.

"We are planning to enhance the next car with extra features, but that will happen as soon as we get more capital,” he says.

Towards this end, they sold the two cars while Sowetan Online was visiting their workshop this week - to an entrepreneur in the tourism sector, Philemon Mashamaite.

While they were not prepared to disclose the purchase price for the two vehicles, we are privy to the fact that they spent R7,800 to "soup up" the white beetle with soccer ball, not counting the skills and time they spent on it.

Asked what prompted him to buy the cars, Mashamaite responded:

“I am a patriotic citizen and love the beautiful game. It was a way of me to be part of the buzz and show the rest of the world that we are proud of our country.

“I am planning to speak to the organisers if they could allow me to enter on to the pitch and parade around the stadia at every match Bafana Bafana will be playing. I would like to travel with the vehicles wherever they will be playing during the tournament."

Source: http://www.sowetan.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=1110457