Smarter justice, faster transport and more cops - South Africans will continue to score, thanks to the World Cup, senior government officials said yesterday.

At a briefing yesterday, Justice Minister Jeff Radebe said the 56 dedicated courts set up in the nine host cities to deal with Cup-related crimes would continue beyond their planned July 25 life span.

He said the specialised courts would complement initiatives such as the creation of new high courts to help clear massive case backlogs.

The World Cup courts heard 205 cases and pronounced 122 convictions.

The criminal justice system would benefit from a revitalised police force, said national police chief Bheki Cele yesterday.

The extra manpower would enable the police to respond more strongly to events such as this week's xenophobic attacks in Western Cape, Cele said.

Speaking to The Times yesterday, transport ministry spokesman Logan Maistry said the public would benefit from an integrated transport infrastructure that had debuted during the tournament.

"The World Cup catapulted us into proving how important an integrated transport system is as we move towards developing South Africa towards a modern economy," he said.

Transport Minister Sbu Ndebele said: "The transport milestones developed during the World Cup form part of the lasting legacy that will be enjoyed by generations of South Africans for many decades."

Tourism Department spokesman Trevor Bloem said the World Cup had added impetus to the country's draft tourism strategy, which was launched two months before the start of the tournament.

"But we are not resting on our laurels."

Government officials are not the only ones feeling upbeat.

The results of an Ipsos-Markinor survey released yesterday suggested that the large majority of South Africans are riding a wave of positive sentiment.

About 85% of respondents felt more positive about the country's future, thanks to the tournament.

"In a few recent studies, a similar, but more general, question about a happy future for all South Africans evoked positive responses from between 60% and 65% of all adult South Africans.

"The World Cup thus had a profound effect on South Africans and our view of the future and, perhaps more important, on our view of ourselves," Markinor said.

Government spokesman Themba Maseko said preliminary figures suggested that R93-billion had been pumped into the economy before and during the tournament, and more was to follow.

Home Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said that the government expected return visits by many of the 1.4million foreigners who came to watch the soccer tournament and take part in the countrywide party.