SA Rugby chief executive Jurie Roux said the benefits of hosting the 2023 Rugby World Cup will far outweigh the negatives of South Africa's current socioeconomic problems.
The country's economy is currently growing at less than 1% and more than half of the population lives below the breadline, according to Stats SA.
Roux said the money that will be spent on the World Cup will flow back into South Africa's coffers.
Roux, SA Rugby president Mark Alexander and Sports and Recreation Minister Thulas Nxesi were in London this week to state the country's case for hosting their second World Cup after the 1995 showpiece.
They are competing against France, who hosted the 2007 edition won by South Africa. And there is also Ireland, who have yet to host despite offering up venues for the England (1991) and Wales (1999) tournaments.
Roux said: "The total guarantee comes to R2.7-billion and half of that is going to come back in taxes alone. If you take the taxes away, you're left with about R600-million to R700-million and you're going to have an impact of R27.5-billion. That's 100 times more than the investment. You're creating a massive amount of infrastructure, tourism and jobs. It's a pretty small investment, compared to other investments in order to get a high return.
"The World Cup is a development tool and an aspirational platform. Rugby is working towards one thing and one thing only: growing the game in the country. There's going to be a massive economic injection from the perspective of R27.5-billion in direct and indirect investment and 25000 jobs."
He was at pains to explain how much the bid cost but said it cost a "couple of million".
With R118-million flushed down the drain because of the failed Durban 2022 Commonwealth Games bid with South Africa now stripped of hosting rights, bid costs have become important. Roux also stressed that "rugby" money wasn't used to finance the bid.
"We've been footing the bill ourselves and the amount we've spent isn't out of line," said Roux. "We got funding from our commercial partners and from our broadcasting partners to help us sort out the bill.
"They also see that as an investment in what could be the bigger spectacle."..