The centrepiece of the square is the aesthetically pleasing City Hall, dating from 1858, topped with an attractive clock tower. Also in the square is a replica of the Diaz Cross that commemorates the first European to set foot in Algoa Bay in 1488, when Dutch explorer Bartholomew Diaz stopped over on his way east.

Alongside the city hall is the Prester John Memorial, dedicated to the Portuguese explorers who landed in South Africa.

On the northwest flank of the square is the city’s public library, built in 1835 and originally used as a courthouse. The beautiful building is regarded as an excellent example of Victorian Gothic architecture and is interesting in that its façade was manufactured in England and shipped to Port Elizabeth to be recreated piece by piece.

In front of the library stands a marble statue of Queen Victoria, which was unveiled in 1903.

Slightly downhill from the square, at the entrance to the harbour, stands the Campanile, containing the biggest carillon of bells in the country. Visitors can climb 204 steps to enjoy the view from the top of this monument, which commemorates the landing of the 1820 settlers

In one corner are those who hate the vuvuzela, and expect it to blight the World Cup.  Poster-boy for the anti-vuvuzela movement is Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso, who believes the instrument does nothing for the atmosphere and should be banned. He is supported by numerous mostly European fans who have been venting on online forums across the internet:

These things make among the more annoying noises on the planet. There’s no room for rhythm or beat or anything like it, it’s just the same nails-on-the-chalkboard monotone honk, over and over from all sides with absolutely no regard for what’s going on in the game or with other people using the same instrument. Maybe South Africans find that appealing. Nobody else does and it absolutely does detract from the viewing or game experience.

In the other corner are the majority of South Africans, and anyone else who may feel a bit annoyed by the arrogance of a call to ban the instrument. For the moment Sepp Blatter seems to be in this camp, but enough international pressure may force him to reconsider.

To be fair, the vuvuzela is an extremely abrasive sound, especially if you haven’t grown up knowing it as the sound of soccer. For this reason, most South Africans would probably be happy to make some compromises regarding their use of the vuvuzela, if engaged in a respectful manner. But vitriol and demands from vuvuzela-haters is unlikely to result in a satisfactory result.

Lets hope whatever FIFA decides, regarding the fate of the vuvuzela, that it does so with an eye on compromise. It may be that many foreigners are showing a precious, parochial streak towards this issue, but if they are really that unhappy about it, it may be wise to humour them. It would be disappointing for the World Cup to be ruined by their sulking.

Then again, maybe an encounter with a few thousand vuvuzelas will force the world, and soccer, to actually adopt some of the ideals of “ tolerance, respect, etc. “ that it constantly preaches.