Exactly a year after the spectacular Fifa World Cup tournament on home soil, my heart is still filled with pride and patriotism every time I hear the sound of a vuvuzela, or see a car drive past with the South African flag attached to its window.
Exactly a year after the spectacular Fifa World Cup tournament on home soil, my heart is still filled with pride and patriotism every time I hear the sound of a vuvuzela, or see a car drive past with the South African flag attached to its window.
On Friday 11 June 2010, the first Fifa World Cup to be hosted in Africa kicked off with a brilliant opening ceremony and what turned out to be a memorable 1-1 draw between host South Africa and Mexico.
Like they say, Africans celebrate everything — from a new life entering the world, to the ending of one and the joining of two souls in matrimony in between – it is all about celebrating. And South Africans didn’t disappoint, we lived up to that.
I guess you could say it’s what makes South Africa a thrilling, exciting, vibrant and heavenly country that welcomes every one with open hearts and wide smiles. On that day, there was no such thing as a stranger: People were hugging each other everywhere you looked, waving flags. Most were unable to utter a word, but instead wore jubilant smiles, and tears of joy gleamed in their eyes, sparkling like diamonds telling of sweet victory.
Fans of all shapes, hues and sizes draped the flag over their shoulders; some had head scarves, others donned oversized plastic glasses and bright earrings in the shape of Africa, with frizzy, colourful wigs. A unique, galvanising sense of unity tore through the country. Who would have guessed this was a country once hinged on a racial divide.
Sport's biggest show piece, which took the country six years of planning and came to define the national agenda, shaping budget priorities, infrastructure development and daily conversations from townships to vineyards, was now a reality.
The month-long event put South Africa at the centre of the world. And, boy, did we silence the critics with our smooth operations and vuvuzela-blowing. Foreign fans, some of whom arrived as sceptics, went home as converts.
On July 11, as soon as the final whistle was blown – which marked Spain’s victory – fireworks lit up the skies, vuvuzelas shrieked mercilessly, crowds danced and sang – and a magic, so palpable, stretched out far beyond the horizon. It was the biggest celebration I've seen in my life – and I bet that goes for most of us. This was the moment that helped challenge the way the world perceived not only South Africa, but Africa as a whole.
Today, exactly a year after the tournament, there are still many reminders of the World Cup. In every city and neighbourhood, people still sport their bright yellow Bafana Bafana jerseys, wearing them proudly. At airports and street markets, one can still find World Cup 2010 paraphernalia being sold. The World Cup’s theme songs, Waka Waka and Wave the Flag, are still as popular as ever and can be heard in townships, where even pre-school children are still singing along, word for word.
But that is not all. Direct infrastructure developments such as new stadia, enhanced transport options and road upgrades around stadia, improvements at border posts and points of entry, upgraded telecommunications infrastructure and improved security systems all lead to a better quality of life, and provide long-term, valuable assets to communities.
The World Cup brought an entirely new definition to South African travel. The stadia, for instance, are a monument to spectacular architectural design and top the list of places to see for tourists. Fifa head Sepp Blatter gave South Africa “nine out of ten” for its performance, saying he would happily back any bid we made for any event in the future.
Fifa said the World Cup had been a huge financial success for all parties concerned – South Africa, Africa, the world football body and its sponsors. It also confirmed it had made more than U$3.5 billion (R23.6bn) from the tournament, a figure that flies in the face of previous concerns that the event would be a financial risk.
Economists and critics have questioned whether the South African government in fact saw returns on its massive investments, and whether the tournament did anything to ease unemployment or grow the economy.
Some had even predicted that some of the stadia were doomed to become white elephants, with huge operating costs and hosting few events.
Yes, there are some effects from the World Cup which haven’t been as positive as others. Many businesses and municipalities had forecast too much of an economic impact, and some businesses are hurting after anticipating a huge rise in sales and profits, among others.
I’m also not in denial that not every South African shared in the World Cup’s jovial spirit, and I admit that there are still many problems in this country that the World Cup did not solve. Some missed the games because they had no electricity – let alone TVs. People still died from Aids, or in poverty, or at the hands of criminals, far from the world's cameras, and some informal traders were driven out of stadium exclusion zones.
Some people question why it took Fifa, an immovable deadline and a worldwide audience for us to come together as a nation and for things to be delivered on time. The answer is not clear cut, but I will say this: the tournament left us with an infinite legacy.
We were great hosts as individuals, as towns, cities, provinces and as a nation. We partied, played, worked hard and we definitely supported this World Cup like no event before it. The enthusiasm we showed as a nation with our homemade costumes and signs has surely left a lasting impression on television screens worldwide.
Nelson Mandela once said in 1996: “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair.” And I couldn’t agree with him more.
South Africa does have challenges and hurdles to climb, some quite significant. But instead of complaining, why don’t we look back at last year’s event with eyes that recognise the achievements? After all, we won the hearts of the world, and we changed perceptions. And it shouldn’t stop there. My challenge to the nation therefore is: How do we keep winning? *
Bathandwa Mbola is a senior reporter for BuaNews, a South African government news service under the auspices of the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS).
