´óÏó´«Ã½

has been in the international news for months. have got tired of illegal immigrants from Zimbabwe, scaling the fences that separate the two countries, and stealing their animals and goods. The farmers say there is no real effective border patrol, so they've taken matters into their own hands, bands of men now patrol the boarder, arresting the people flouting the law and getting in to the country illegally. But some of the press photos made uncomfortable viewing for some nationals who remember the days of apartheid….

The plight of some of the Zimbabweans have caused concern with charities and NGOs. Human rights watch is concerned that illegal immigrants are being treated very badly in the northern towns, thy report "."

We're off to talk to the farmers who patrol the border, some illegal immigrants, the police and the locals. We'll be talking about immigration, about Zimbabwe and the relationship with South Africa, and anything else that they (and you) want to talk about.

Everyone in the van, 5 hours to Johannesburg

And straight to the training ground for our Tuesday programme.

We've got some of the Kaizer Chiefs footballers, some of their youth team, some of the organisers of South Africa 2010, and a mini-bus full of kids (all soccer mad) from nearby Soweto, and some locals. All together. We'll be asking them will South Africa be ready for the ? What does hosting the contest mean for them? Along with your questions, and (as always) the international news items that you're talking about, and that you've suggested.

Today, the national team (known as Bafana Bafana) has been labelled as "" for the 2010 World Cup, according to its Brazilian coach Carlos Alberto Parreira…we'll see if they agree.

I've told Ros to pack his shorts, rumour has it, we may be able to convince some of the Kaizer Chiefs for a kick-around. I'll be posting the evidence straight up on the blog….

And breathe. Another day in Jo'burg

I want the rest of the team to still be talking to me at this point, so I decided to give the road trip a rest, and stay in Jo'burg for a second night. In May 2006 we did two programmes - one from Soweto, one from Sandton, both lively (very lively) and so I thought on Wednesday 10th October we'd go back to Sandton, to , and Trumps Grill.

I noticed this article about Nelson Mandela square by . Whose visit to Sandton makes him comment that,
"South Africa continues to be a tale of two countries. One, peopled largely by extremely poor people of color, is subject to an unemployment rate north of 25 percent, an AIDS epidemic that affects 5 million people, and rampant crime. The other, peopled by a growing black middle class and a slowly integrating but still largely white upper class, is highly Westernized, comfortable, and, thanks to the global demand for commodities like platinum, booming."

It has echoes of our programme a year ago when the multi-cultural audience slung around accusations of "selling out the spirit of South Africa" by simply thinking that Sandton was the best bit of Jo'burg…..

But this time we thought we'd go there and get a government minister to talk to an audience of South Africans. There is so much in the news about the ANC, from the recent , to the . We're expecting our audience to want answers on , crime, 2010, Zimbabwe,

And on to Ladysmith

We'll be spending Thursday on a farm just outside Ladysmith. I can't reveal too much about it, but the idea (Ros' idea, I can't claim it) was to get everyone involved in the life of the farm talking together. I've found our hosts for the evening, and I'm busy planning, with them, how it can work.

So far they've got three generations of their family, some labourers and workers who help look after the herds they keep, some of the other local farmers - including some of the growing number of Black farmers - and others from the community.

Our hosts have been asking their invitees what they want to talk about - land reform and the lack of black mentorship in white-dominated industry are winning at the moment - which reminded me of the recently launched , a white-dominated industry trying to capture a bigger market, and give opportunities for Black producers and marketers

The end is in sight - Table Mountain, Cape town

Not actually on the mountain, but in , which
"a more chilled out vibe...live gigs every Friday...Zula Bar. You couldn't ask for much more in a club; large dance floor, busy bar, pool and fuseball tables, chill out balcony and another chill out area outside with swing chairs to relax and take a break from the music. "
It's a multi-cultural venue - that hosts all sorts of performance both traditional and modern.

On Friday we'll be on the balconywith an audience of young South Africans. While I was talking to a colleague at SAfm about our week in SA, I talked about this programme and the loose theme of the rainbow nation and multiculturalism. He commented that on one of their phone-in programmes last week, a caller said "No one can win, you were either too black before apartheid, or now you're too white for today's South Africa".

Is South Africa's constant claim to be a "rainbow nation" a myth? Is it really the melting plot it claims to be? And who knows what will be in the international news that day? Who knows what our listeners will suggest...

If you have a suggestion of what to talk about on our road trip, you can post here, or send us an email. If you're in Jo'burg, Musina, Ladysmith or Cape town and fancy coming along to take part in the programme email me directly and we'll invite you along. If you've suggestions of where to go, what to see, where to eat, and where to stay you can tell us here too! We always welcome the wisdom of listeners.

And in the normal World Have Your Say tradition - we want to eat 'traditional' south African on our first night. We're in Jo'burg - what should be on the menu?