BLOWING THE VUVUZELA WHILE ROME IS BURNING
This morning on my way to work I was listening to the radio newscast. The headline was that it’s exactly one hundred days to kick-off for the first ever FIFA World Cup on African soil that will start right here in Jozi at Soccer City on 11 July 2010. The second item was the fact that informal traders at the Sunday market next to the Green Point Stadium in Cape Town - who have been operating on the site for years - were forced to relocate during the renovation of the stadium and for the duration of the tournament, often to the detriment of their livelihood.
Similarly, in Durban, street traders have to accommodate FIFA host city by-laws regarding ambush marketing (marketing by association and marketing by intrusion), illegal advertising, and prohibited trading areas. Many traders have not been granted permits to trade near the stadium, and they will have to carefully ensure that none of their products are in any way different from ‘objects that they are not known to trade’.
The third item on the news is that residents of the Orange Farm informal settlement close to Jo’burg has gone on the rampage protesting against a lack of basic service delivery like running water, electricity and sewage removal. Oh the joy, frustration and heartache of hosting an international sporting event second only to the Olympic Games
I’m sorry but I’m a bit cynical about the whole thing. Could the capital investment in building new stadiums and upgrading supporting infrastructures not have been spent more wisely on education, housing and basic service delivery? In 2007 “Business Day” estimated the building cost of new stadiums and upgrading existing stadiums at R8.4 billion with an anticipated 60% escalation before completion. This is a staggering amount of money and I’m wondering if this sort of investment will benefit the large percentage of previously disadvantaged citizens in any tangible form.
FIFA has hijacked the event. Local traders are prohibited to trade close to the stadiums; local business must remove their advertising boards if there is any chance of it appearing during the broadcast of a game. Only official merchandise can be sold putting the supporter’s jerseys at over R500 a pop out of reach of the average South African, again the previously disadvantaged who are so passionate about the beautiful game.
Airlines are also cashing in on the World Cup big-time increasing airfares sharply which means that many business people that commute via plane to various cities within South Africa will no longer be able to afford to conduct their business for a 6-week period before, during and immediately after the event.
The schools will be closed for the duration of the World Cup. I work for an Educational NGO. The trainers we employ will not be able to train teachers during this period to address the dire state of literacy in South African schools. These trainers are scattered throughout the country and it is unaffordable to train them in Jozi, as we usually do, when the schools are closed during this period due to the increase in airfares. I get even more cynical about this circus when a procurement department in one of the provinces who owes us about R500 000 for books supplied informed me;
“Sorry for you, we can’t pay as Public Works has taken the education budget to complete the stadium”
On the surface this is a showcase for South Africa and it will host a great event, but at what price? On top of that the local soccer team could not even qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations and can only participate in the FIFA world Cup as a hosting nation.
At least we've built some very impresive stadiums.