It's said that royals always throw the best parties. If so, England are in for a treat, for the man entrusted with keeping Albion's thousands comfortable and well-oiled is King Kgosi Leruo Molotlegi, 36th king of the Bafokeng nation.

Royal welcome: King Kgosi Leruo Molotlegi says that England fans visiting Bafokeng this summer can expect "a good party"

For a man with the responsibility of hosting the biggest shindig on earth, Molotlegi looks remarkably untroubled. Perhaps it’s the carriage of noble birth, but most likely it’s the knowledge that the hard part is over. After a swarm of negative headlines, South Africa is wresting back the PR initiative little by little. Everything is coming together. “We are currently finishing off some very small things,” Molotlegi says. “But the two key things – the pitches and the hotel – are done.”

Fabio Capello’s squad could scarcely ask for more convivial hosts than the 300,000 residents of Bafokeng. In contrast to the restless knots of Johannesburg and Cape Town, the mining province in the north-west of the country is largely rural. England fans awaiting the big game can pass the time observing big game in one of the numerous wildlife parks. The people are warm, friendly and – most importantly – ready.

“We started working on the World Cup three years ago, largely the upgrading of the stadium,” Molotlegi says. “Everybody is eagerly awaiting the World Cup, especially the English fans. We hope that they will feel welcome, that they will blend into the community, that they will experience the local cuisine and the shebeens, or local pubs.”

Not all hosts have greeted an impending English influx with such equanimity. But in Bafokeng, excitement is trumping apprehension. “We have prepared as much as we can,” the king says. “We understand English fans very well. Whilst we’ll give them a good party, it must be within the confines of what’s acceptable.”

Molotlegi’s enthusiasm stems from his own passion for English football. He and his school-friends grew up watching the Liverpool teams of the 1970s and 1980s, and now he can scarcely contain his excitement at the prospect of rubbing shoulders with England’s superstars.

“We are looking forward to meeting Mr Beckham and the likes of Wayne Rooney and Ashley Cole,” he says. “We are a soccer-loving country. Soccer is the biggest sport by far, and English soccer features prominently on our screens, so it’s very much a festival.”

The region is hopeful that England’s star quality will give them a global audience. Already buttressed by its vast mining wealth, Bafokeng is busily selling itself to foreign investors as it attempts to modernise its economy and infrastructure. A close relationship with English football, it seems, is a central plank of this strategy.

“We want to build relationships with the FA after the World Cup,” Molotlegi says. “We spoke about how we could engage the team in community development projects; coaching, for example. It would be a good opportunity to inspire kids and coaches. They could even get involved in other projects – laying a brick or something like that. It will be a legacy that they could leave.”

For now, though, it is a sporting legacy that most imminently beckons. The king will be attending England’s first game, an unrivalled opportunity to hold meetings, press flesh and generally look royal. “But,” he says with the universally-understood relish of the football fan, “by and large, I’ll just throw my tie off and enjoy the game like everybody else.”