These days you can consider yourself lucky if you are able switch on your television set without being instantly hit on the head by a jabulani flying off some unexpected corner of your screen. So I suppose many of us will feel safer once this jabulani finds its rightful place in History, which is where it belongs.
Over the years I have heard anecdotal evidence that countries hosting events like the Olympics or the World Cup actually end up losing money. Lots of it. But, I must be honest, as I have never been given the opportunity to look at such final accounts, not even in their massaged form, I have not, until now, given the matter much thought.
Until today. I actually saw it in print that, when the grass has settled, so to speak, South Africa will have spent billions of rand that it will not recoup. One aspect that it is not being mentioned, though, is that the country doesn't have a vibrant and financially rich soccer league that can fill and justify the stadia that it built for the event. Thus, there will be no direct financial return from (and may the ANC forgive the pun) those white elephants that will eventually have to be left to rot until they finally crumble into dust.
Optimists contend that the World Cup will have had one ultimate benefit, that of rebranding the country. Rebranding it? As what? Switzerland? Norway? Perhaps Singapore? Unfortunately Aids will continue to ravage the populations, consequently placing a financial burden on the economy; unemployment will continue to grow uncontrolled; corruption will not stop rearing its ugly head; the mines will go on being hampered by power outages and strikes, and by having to mine deeper, thus making it more difficult for them to compete in the international commodity markets. And then there is crime. Lots of it. It was there before the World Cup, it has been there during, and it will be there after the final whistle has blown.
Sure, South Africans will be left with memories. Lots of them. And vuvuzelas. Lots of them. Happy blowing Mr. Zuma!
