South African public feel the World Cup was worth the spend

Martyn Thomas 12:57 16/06/2014
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  • Close to perfect: South African ambassador feels benefits justified the cost.

    Hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup may have cost South Africa billions of dollars, but the sense of inclusion it gave a once isolated country ensured the tournament left a lasting legacy.

    In its final report on staging the event, released in 2012, the South African government admitted it had left an “intangible legacy” despite an outlay of $3 billion (Dh11bn).

    It did predict a $6 bn boost to the country’s economy, but weighed down by some significant white elephants, such as the $600 million (Dh2.2bn) Cape Town Stadium, it is debatable how accurate that claim will prove.

    But one man unconcerned by bare economics is South Africa’s ambassador to the UAE, Mpetjane Kgaogelo Lekgoro.

    The politician says he “lived” the World Cup and believes the social benefits it provided far outweigh the material cost. “If I were to speak for the South Africans, what made us happy was that we felt that we were part of the world,” he said.

    “We were not the backyard of the world — we counted in the world, the system.

    “We felt very fortunate for the world to consider us a venue for such an important global event and we really felt part of the world.”

    According to Lekgoro, inviting the planet to their country also had a positive effect on South Africa’s image, and their potential for future tourism.

    “The impact was on person to person contact of South Africans with the rest of the world and South Africans in reality, showing them what our country is, what we are, our culture, our infrastructure, our capabilities and so on,” he added. “So people from around the world saw it with their own eyes, felt it, lived it, for those three weeks.”

    Moreover, Lekgoro insists regardless of the cost, forcing the country to improve its infrastructure, building new roads, airports and stadiums, was ultimately worth it.

    Indeed, the former Member of Parliament is confident he would be backed by public opinion.

    He added: “If they want to, people can engage in polemics, they can start a debate on that and use data the way they want to suit their arguments.

    “But if you were to ask South Africans, say the government spent $3bn on this tournament, government, private sector, everybody do you see the benefits? South Africans will tell you ‘we are enjoying the benefits now’.

    “We have bigger highway systems, we have better stadiums, we have better soccer programmes and as far as we are concerned, the benefits justified the cost.”

    Since Spain beat the Netherlands to end the tournament four years ago, there have been suggestions South Africa would next make a bid to host the Olympics.

    Lekgoro added: “We have no regret. The decision to compete for the right to host was the right one, and it was good and very fortunate that we won.

    “In the future, if South Africa believe that they have the capacity to host another event, I would be among those South Africans who say, ‘please do’.

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