Freddie Marquet

He promised me, I'm going to get a five franc out of East Vuvuzela.

And I never get even a cent.

But I didn't worry.

I didn't complain.

I said to myself, God is great.

We tried to track Neil Van Skulkvik down for an interview, but were unsuccessful.

According to media reports, he denied ever meeting with Saddam Markey in 2001.

Actually, Roman, you technically could beat someone up with it.

The company handed out Vuvuzelas for free at football matches and partnered with some local clubs to get more of them into South Africa's stadiums.

It wasn't long before there was more interest in the Vuvuzela and sales started to grow.

Soon, the instrument could be distinctly heard at games across the country.

And as South Africa prepared their bid to host the 2010 World Cup, Van Skulkvik and his company were ready to capitalise on the event.

The company's efforts were designed to position the Vuvuzela as authentic, including its official slogan, the original sound of South Africa.

The aggressive marketing worked.

In the lead-up to the World Cup, the sound of South African football was inextricably linked to the vuvuzela.

The instrument even appeared in national marketing campaigns, fronted by prominent rugby players who'd been called in to promote the 2009 Confederations Cup, a sort of test run tournament for the World Cup.

The Confederations Cup was the first time a global TV audience had been exposed to the Viverzela.

Not long after the first game, the international debate started taking off.

Sepp Blatter, the beloved and totally non-controversial FIFA president, was asked if the Vuvuzela was going to be banned at the upcoming World Cup.

To the surprise of many, he came out in support of the instrument, saying, It is African culture.