The World Cup: Looking at Both Sides of the Coin (Sarah)

Watching the South Africa v. Mexico match on Long Street in Cape Town

There is no hiding the fact that the World Cup is in full swing in South Africa. Our group frequently talks about the World Cup and the effects it has on the nation, whether positive or negative. Below is a piece that I wrote for the San Antonio Express News regarding my opinions on the World Cup.

It was published last week in the Opinions and View section.

What will South Africa look forward to after soccer spotlight dims?

Several days ago, I went to the Italy vs. Paraguay World Cup match in Cape Town, South Africa. Unlike the other 393,000 visitors to the country, being in South Africa during the time of the world's largest sporting event is mere coincidence for me. I am participating in a two-month service-immersion trip, sponsored by Duke University, interning at a Human Rights NGO.

During the three weeks that I have been in South Africa, the country has been buzzing with excitement, both figuratively and audibly. From any office building, apartment or street, one can hear the humming of a “vuvuzela,” a plastic horn much like a bugle, popularized by the World Cup to create noise in the stadiums. Yet, the constant jubilation erupting on the streets may only superficially represent the impact that the World Cup could have on South Africa.

Certainly, there are numerous positive effects: increased tourism, revenue, and international attention, and Africa's first chance to host the World Cup. For a nation typically associated with negative stereotypes such as disease, poverty and crime, the 2010 FIFA World Cup nurtures pride for South Africans and provides an opportunity to impress the international community. A country where a native woman is more likely to be raped than learn how to read and which ranks in the 10 most dangerous places for murder, rape, and riot, South Africa has much to gain if the event proceeds safely and successfully.

But when the Cup is over and the fans have returned home, the hotels, streets, and stadiums will be empty, and South Africans may have little to look forward to. In anticipation of the event, the South African government sought to create an exaggerated image of development for visitors.

During my first week in South Africa, I went to a township (slum) just outside Johannesburg, called Soweto. There, I realized that the dwellings visible from the highway had been replaced with nice, new houses, whereas the homes on the interior were still tin shacks. Most visitors will not tour Soweto as I did — thus, as they drive by, they will see only the houses recently installed by the government, and will remain shielded from the immense poverty.

Such a practice is common. And while the government hopes to ultimately replace all of the shacks, I speculate that, after the World Cup tourists have vanished, there will be no rush to construct more houses.

Because of the World Cup, South Africa has legalized prostitution so that the police officers can instead focus on more violent crime. In a country in which 12 percent of the population has HIV and AIDS, such an action contradicts good health and morals.

Where people's homes and schools once stood now lie enormous stadiums that have been constructed around the country to host matches. But when the Cup is over, will there be a need for 10 stadiums, the biggest of which seats 95,000 and the smallest, 40,000? And what about the employees who have been given work to prepare for the World Cup, but will then be unemployed? While the government is focused on the need to create infrastructure to accommodate the World Cup, 25 percent of South Africans live on less than $2 a day, in a nation with a startling gap between rich and poor. The South African government apparently put the needs of tourists above those of its citizens.

While some deem South Africa to be a scarred society healed by soccer, others claim that the presence of the world's largest sporting event is merely creating new wounds to be treated. For a nation less than 20 years past the rigid structures of apartheid, skeptics around the world doubted South Africa's ability to put on such a large-scale affair.

If the country succeeds in hosting an event of this grandeur, both South Africa and the entire continent of Africa could be put on the global map in a more positive context. Hopefully, that alone will be enough to outweigh the negative consequences that may emerge.

--Sarah