Newsletter 75-Municipalities score an own goal in the 2010 Soccer World Cup- 11 June 2010
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With just a few hours to go before the 2010 Soccer World Cup kick-off, there is mounting excitement. However, if the financial returns of this tournament are anything to go by, then there is not much to be excited about, particularly for the host cities and their municipalities.
South Africa is one of the most unequal societies in the world. The 2010 Soccer World Cup is seen as a catalyst for development, through the tournament’s perceived socio- economic benefits. The stadia, roads, and airports have been built and upgraded and the facilities are considered to be world class. Some public transport infrastructure has also been improved.
The nine host cities for the 2010 Soccer World Cup are Cape Town, Nelson Mandela Bay (Port Elizabeth), eThekwini (Durban), Mombela (Nelspruit), Polokwane, Rustenburg, Tshwane (Pretoria), Johannesburg, and Mangaung (Bloemfontein).
An estimated R33 billion has been spent on the upgrading and building of stadia alone. Of this amount, R11 billion has been funded by national and provincial governments and the remaining R22 billion by local government. In addition municipalities have to use their already tight budgets to cover the running costs of the stadia. These costs will range from R2.4 million (Ellis Park) to R18 million (Soccer City) a year.
In many communities, there is a dire lack of basic services. If the Government could spare R33 billion for a month-long sport tournament, why then is the delivery of services such as water, housing, education and health care, among other services still unsatisfactory?
The Government’s splurge on the tournament raises a question about its priorities. It also raises a question about whether hosting such a tournament was a good decision.
In terms of education, 92.5% of schools in the country did not have stocked libraries in 2006. In addition, in the same year South Africa was ranked 121 out of 177 countries worldwide in terms of adult literacy. In 2007, 52.8% of households did not have access to piped water inside their dwelling and had to access it from a borehole, spring, inside a yard or from an access point outside a yard or from other sources. In terms of health care, in 2007 South Africa’s population of over 47.8 million had to share 3 129 public clinics, 269 district hospitals and 54 regional hospitals.
The hosting of the 2010 Soccer World Cup is a good socio-economic opportunity with the potential to leave a legacy of good infrastructure, social cohesion and skills development.
However, given the country’s current service delivery conditions, the Government’s priorities are questionable.
- Nachi Majoe
