The Cup is about a great deal more than sport, the crowds simply part of the backdrop - the cost of their tickets is almost irrelevant. But the political dividends for the ANC are significant and the nation's new elite will be disporting itself in front of the world's cameras.
The rest of the country will be enjoying a long holiday and the brief opportunity to forget the enormous burden of socio-economic problems.
There is no evidence from previous mega-events, or South Africa's current circumstances, that the World Cup will deliver any major benefit. Politicians traditionally lie about the projected economic and social outcomes of such events in order to requisition the resources required for their own political ends.
The best guess is a pitiful 50 000 jobs and growth of 0.94 percent of gross domestic product. The World Cup was never intended for the benefit of local residents.
2010 a new form of colonialism
Independent Online
November 18, 2009
