The real benefit of the World Cup lies in nation-building

09 June 2010 - 01:30 By The Editor,The Times Newspaper
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The Times Editorial:The debate about whether the World Cup will benefit the country economically is likely to continue long after the final whistle blows at Soccer City on Sunday, July 11.

While some observers argue that South Africa - like many other host countries before it - will never recoup the huge sums the government has forked out on behalf of taxpayers to host the global soccer showcase, others take a more considered view.

If we have the nous to use the exposure to leverage new investment opportunities, trade and tourism, the counter-argument goes, the ultimate benefits of hosting the tournament will dwarf our initial investment (said to total about R50-billion).

Only time will tell whether we will be able to effectively use the Cup as a marketing opportunity to woo foreign investment and tourists into the country. But what we can definitely achieve is to use this opportunity to complete the nation-building project Nelson Mandela started 20 years ago.

We have seen glimpses of the united nation Madiba envisaged. People of all communities celebrated the Springboks' triumph over the All Blacks in the World Cup final at Ellis Park in 1995. They celebrated again in 1996 when Bafana Bafana lifted the Africa Cup of Nations trophy.

There have been other moments when our patriotic fervour has shone through, but in truth, we have gone through a lean patch - helped, no doubt, by the polarising speeches of some political leaders. But then again, ordinary citizens, white and black, also have a duty to demonstrate their love for their country by attending important celebrations such as Freedom Day festivities.

This is the real opportunity presented by the World Cup: We mustn't shelve our patriotism along with our flags and Bafana T-shirts in a month's time

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