What has the Football done for us?
For the past month, the FIFA 2010 World Cup has the focus on attention for all, from the daily headlines to chats around coffee machine at work. Despite some initial pessimism, both locally and aboard, I certainly believe that the event has been a wonderful success.
An article, in this week’s Sunday Times, states that the World Cup's R38bn boost to the South African economy this year is more or less the amount spent by the country in hosting the tournament according to the minister of finance Pravin Gordhan. A return on investment in one year can only be a good thing. While the article goes on further to talk about the overall health of the economy, with a specific need on the creation of employment and the diversification of both “what we produce and where we export to”, there does appear to a more positive trend.
But moving away from the numbers, I have been fortunate enough to attend some the games, both at Soccer City and Coca Cola Park. The direct benefits, both job and economic opportunities are clearly visible. These include the construction of stadiums and other facilities, and the tourism and related industries from vendors to taxi drivers. What I would like to focus on however are the externalities. In economics, and according to the Wikipedia definition, an externality (or transaction spillover) is:
A cost or benefit, not transmitted through prices, incurred by a party who did not agree to the action causing the cost or benefit. A benefit in this case is called a positive externality or external benefit, while a cost is called a negative externality or external cost. [1]
So, to continue on from the positive trend we are seeing the macro economy, I thought I would list a few of the positive externalities I have observed as a result of the FIFA 2010 World Cup.
- The investment in new infrastructure will create both an improved environment to attract investment and habitat for citizens. It’s also has created a pool of experienced workers who have proved that they can deliver to world class standards.
- Besides the international fans who have travelled to South Africa to support their teams, South Africa has been showcased globally via the media. I believe that our country is now and forever on the map as a unique, friendly and well organised tourist destination.
- Being seated in a stadium with Spanish, Ghana and German tourists made me both realise that we are part of the global village, but that we are unqiuely and also very proudly South African. Soccer was the conduit that forced the full range of diverse South African cultures, races and religions to integrate, face to face be it in the stadium, on the bus, train, Fan Park or viewing area. I just wish there was a way of investing in the improvement of our nation’s self-belief and social capital as that is where I believe the real returns can be found.
I would also like to invite other readers to contribute their thoughts, especially if they disagree or wish to add more. Secondly, although much of the World Cup activity has been concentrated in the Host Cities, what generic lessons can be learnt from the experiece as they related to Local Economic Development, tourism, public private partnerships, informal trading management and investment in public (socio-econmoic ) infrastructure to name a few.
BIG BRANDS GIVE ‘KEEP FLYING’ CAMPAIGN THE NOD
SOUTH AFRICA, Jul 13, 2010
Just 10 days after its launch, the Keep Flying campaign has been given the nod by over 70 big and small brand names in South Africa.
The campaign, kick started not yet two weeks ago (Friday July 9), aims to encourage South Africans to unite behind the country’s flag after the final whistle blows at the 2010 World Cup.
To date, Draftfcb South Africa, the advertising agency which created the concept in a bid to ensure the country doesn’t suffer from post-World Cup depression – as all other host nations have done, has responded to over 200 emails from companies wanting to embrace the campaign while the www.keepflying.co.za website has received over 8,000 hits.
In addition, more than 70 big and small brands have also indicated that they’ll be joining the campaign, either by incorporating the device developed by the agency into its marketing communication or by developing an initiative that introduces their own audiences in their own way.
See more:
http://www.draftfcb.com/press-release.aspx?press=269
This is an important initiative by COSATU. The Declaration (see below) was launched at a press conference this morning. COSATU is seeking endorsements to this declaration, and also intends to develop a plan to ensure its implementation.
After the World Cup – how can we build on our success? July 2010
The Congress of South African Trade Unions congratulates every South African on the unbelievable success of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, this historic global event that was held on African soil for the first time. It has confounded the prophets of doom who believed that Africa could never run a FIFA World Cup Final and who kept predicting a disaster. In the end it proved to be the best-run World Cup ever, a brilliant organisational triumph, running smoothly all the way from the spectacular opening ceremony to Sunday’s extraordinary closing ceremony and final. The whole world has seen the best possible picture of South Africa on their TV screens – beautiful stadiums packed with exuberant fans, a festive atmosphere in the streets and fan parks, efficient public transport, visible policing, minimal levels of crime and an effective and efficient judicial system. Even the criminals appear to have gone on holiday – we urge them to remain wherever they are! We acknowledge that this success is also due to visible policing. In this regard we thank the Minister of Police, Nathi Mthethwa and National Commissioner, Bheki Cele, for their strong leadership. But it has been an even bigger psychological triumph for the country. It has instilled an unprecedented feeling of national pride and self-esteem. It has led to an explosion of patriotism that extended to the entire continent. This patriotism has been rubbed off on the young South Africans now and for many generations to come. It has brought us together as a nation as never before, except possibly for one day on 27 April 1994. South Africans - from all races, classes, and walks of life, including young children – have come together united in a common cause. Support for Bafana Bafana welded the nation together, and then, after their exit from the tournament, all South Africans united in support for Ghana, as the only remaining African team. We wish to thank and congratulate the FIFA Local Organising Committee led by the chairperson Dr Irvin Khoza. We single out Dr Danny Jordaan for special praise as he drove the process on a full-time basis together with a team of dedicated and able staff. We also thank workers in general and the business fraternity, who all went beyond the call of duty and demonstrated that there is nothing impossible when a nation unites behind a single goal. Again to say, it is not the generals that make history but ordinary soldiers, the masses who waved flags, sang a single uniting national anthem so passionately, filled the stadiums and fan parks and opened their hearts and homes to our visitors. South Africa demonstrated to all what it means to be an African and what ubuntu really means. Indeed this was a celebration of African humanity. What lessons can we draw from this phenomenal success? We now know we have a good government that led all the way from the time when the infrastructure was put in place up to the last moment. We now know that we have an efficient and effective police, traffic police and judicial system. We have skilled and hard-working workers – including construction and security workers, stewards, administrators – and we have 18 000 enthusiastic volunteers whose skills and experience should not be lost. We thank them all. We now know that South Africans love their country and can unite behind a single goal, irrespective of the things that used to divide us in the past. For four weeks we stood united behind the goal of hosting the World Cup and behind our national soccer team. For a month there was no racism, sexism, tribalism or regionalism but just proud South Africans. There could be no better 92nd birthday gift to our icon Nelson Mandela than this. He saw his dream unfolding in front of his own eyes. The question we must ask now is how can our country build on this success and how can we ensure that we do not return to the past? Ø How do we maintain the momentum of unity behind a single goal, with no racism, an effective police and judicial system? Ø How can we use the momentum and self-confidence we have seen in these four weeks to achieve similar successes in other areas of our national life and transform the lives of our people in a manner that can deepen the unity we have seen? Ø How can we harness the skills and expertise of the workers who built our new stadiums, roads and public transport infrastructure - efficiently and on schedule - to build the much needed schools, houses, clinics, roads, bridges and sewers in our poor communities? Ø How can we put to good use the volunteers who went beyond the call of duty to help our visitors and made sure the matches proceeded without a hitch? Ø How can we use the implementation models and managerial skills of those who ensured the smooth running of the World Cup, its fan parks, ticket sales, park ‘n rides, volunteers, etc, to transform the efficiency and speed of service delivery in our communities? Ø How can we develop South African soccer and other sports so that we can challenge for victory in future World Cups and other international events? Ø How can we build on the manifestation of African unity in support of Ghana to combat the feared re-eruption of xenophobic violence against our fellow-Africans? Inspired by this success and challenged by these questions, COSATU wishes to propose that all workers through their trade unions, the government, business, other civil society formations, all faith-based organisations and all the traditional leaders commit themselves to keep the current spirit and momentum and unite South Africa behind agreed-to national goals. In the coming period we shall be approaching all to commit to a set of goals as outlined below: Declaration of commitment to maintaining the current levels of unity and confronting South African challenges post-2010 FIFA World Cup We declare that South Africa can never be the same again! We want to live in a South Africa that we have seen in the past four weeks. We will strive to ensure that South Africa continues the wave of unity and uses the energy unleashed by the World Cup to build a lasting legacy for all South Africans and the African continent. In the coming period starting with the celebrations of our icon’s 92nd birthday we shall spare no energy to ensure: 1. Our nation remains united behind Bafana Bafana and does everything possible to promote soccer, which remains the biggest and most popular sport, yet is seriously under-developed. We are disturbed about media reports of pending leadership battles within the football family. We urge the football authorities to remain united, around only one goal - the development of soccer at every level. We urge government, in particular the departments of sports and education, to ensure that soccer and all other sporting codes are developed from our schools. There must be no dithering; SAFA must use all the money they are to receive from FIFA on development, and for nothing else. We need to discover the hidden talents of the hundreds of unknown South African Peles, Drogbas, Messis, Xavis and Ronaldos, who have no opportunity for their skills to be recognised. We need to develop academies to hone the skills of these promising players. We urge former white schools to develop soccer. On 21 August 2010 we urge South African to once more come out in full support of our Amabhokobhoko when they play against New Zealand at Soccer City. We shall support all national sporting codes including our bid to host the Olympics in 2020. Sport has proven that it can play a key role in uniting our country and healing the wounds of the past. 2. We know that the ever-existing threat to our progress is the astronomical levels of unemployment, poverty and inequality which blight our land. Even as we prepared for and hosted the World Cup, jobs continued to disappear, inequalities continued to grow and poverty remains widespread. We need a new economic growth and development path that will help address these challenges with the necessary urgency and speed. We need to ensure an effective implementation of the IPAP2 to ensure industrialisation and restructuring of our sectors to preserve existing jobs and to create new jobs. 3. We commit to address the challenges of our education system. The 1-Goal Campaign and the Nelson Mandela Day celebrations offer an opportunity to take our international icon’s dream to new heights. We call on government to prioritise building and refurbishing schools and to ensure that all schools receive adequate support from the education departments at all levels. We call on South Africans to make every school function, so that we can return to the culture of learning and produce workers with the skills the nation requires. Education must move beyond the call for all to donate books and build school libraries on the Nelson Mandela Day. The campaign must run for the next 12 months until every school functions and is a centre of empowerment to build a new generation that can take our dreams forward. 4. We commit to the transforming our health system and implementing the National Health Insurance Scheme. We have to fix our public hospitals and defeat the scourge of HIV/AIDS to build a healthy nation and improve our country’s life expectancy. 5. We commit to address underdevelopment and poverty in rural areas. This campaign should address food insecurity and empower our people to use land that currently lies unused, so that people can produce the food they need and escape from their deep levels of unemployment and poverty. 6. We commit to campaign against crime and corruption. We can build on the successes of the World Cup by sending out an unequivocal message that crime does not pay. Corruption is stealing from the poor to feed into narrow elites’ selfish accumulation interests. Corruption kills the spirits of the majority, black and white, who want to work hard to build their country. We will act decisively against corruption including misuse of state power and resources for narrow factional interests irrespective of who is involved. 7. We commit to work hard to fix the energy challenge the country is facing. We need more action and not empty words to ensure that South Africa moves out of the current energy crisis. 8. We commit to spare no energy in finding solutions to the looming water shortage crisis so that we do not wait for 2025 when the problem will be much more intense. 9. We do recognise that many public servants work hard and serve our people with integrity. But there is a minority that regrettably continues with work ethics that demonstrate a careless attitude and in some instances contempt for our people including the elderly. For change to happen it requires that we do more to ensure that the public service adopts a new culture of service to our people. We commit ourselves to support the ongoing endeavours of the trade union movement to campaign to change work ethics in the public service so that they can be people-service oriented. 10. We recognise that South Africa will not succeed to develop unless development also takes place in our SADC region and in the entire continent. Everything possible must be done to prevent a new outbreak of xenophobic attacks in some of our poorest communities. No matter how bad living conditions are, there can be no excuse for blaming fellow-Africans for the country’s and continent’s economic failures. It would be a tragedy, after the display of African unity in support of the Ghana football team, to see foreigners being made scapegoats for the lack of service delivery in our communities. They are not the cause but the fellow victims of our unjust and unequal economic system. Workers and the poor must stand united against the common enemies of capitalist greed and corruption. 11. Lastly and most importantly we demand more decisive and visionary leadership. The period of own goals and foot-in-the-mouth must belong to the past. This newfound spirit of unity and racial harmony will not succeed unless strong leadership helps to maintain the mood moving forward. Leadership must at all times, irrespective of whether there are visitors or not, act in an exemplary fashion. We need leadership at all levels within and outside government, in every political and civil society formation to act with integrity and honesty. That is the only way we can inspire confidence in our political system and democracy. We call on the government and all our country’s political formations together with other organs of people’s power to unite behind realisation of these new goals. Patrick Craven (National Spokesperson) Congress of South African Trade Unions 1-5 Leyds Cnr Biccard Streets Braamfontein, 2017 P.O. Box 1019 Johannesburg, 2000 SOUTH AFRICA Tel: +27 11 339-4911/24 Fax: +27 11 339-5080/6940/ 086 603 9667 Cell: 0828217456 E-Mail: patrick@cosatu.org.za
I just want to ask,
Keeping in view the local currencies, the money generated by the government for this extraordinary extravaganza came from where? Out of thin air concept as local currencies suggests?
How much the local business got stimulation? In the long run, say after at-least 6 months.
Did the taste of local population converged towards local production or towards the foreign commodities consumption during this month of amazing displays? Simplicity or Bizarre?
Hello All
For me the world cup turned out ,HAS presented us all with outcomes I did not anticipate.
The event has made South Africans see our country, our fellow citizens thorough very different lenses, made our national psyche for a brief while positive, confident, proud to be South Africa.I have not watch as much soccer as I did this past few weeks and learnt to love it, have an opnion about teams I did not even know of before the event.
I watched matches from my couch at home, at the grand parade, the V&A and walked the Fan walk to the Cape Town staduim and I can say the positive friendly, optimism was palatable. I have family in the not too far rural areas and know their experience is far different and the world cup seemed so much further to them.
I travelled into town each time by train leaving town between 10h30 and 11h50 pm!- something I would not have dreamt of doing before. Cape Town station looks amazing, one could be anywhere in the world, the trains were packed to capacity with people of all ages, races, pressed so closely together late at night talking excited to strangers about how this city is working! How we wised the authorities would keep up the safety and security measures in place that has given us all confidence to use public transport over this period.
We all have to harness, leverage this enthusiasm, to maintain this optimism, all embrace the challenges that face so many in our country together. We have to all imagin another way for all of our citizens to have opportunities for a decent wage, freedom of choice- we can't wait for goverment to do it alone.
Commit to not send another negative email, story around the world- we have a new story..send this around the world- it s good for your mental well being and for the country. Be proactive, creative about contributing to the economic activity in your community. Be active citizens, be nvolved at ward level, vote out those people who aren't making our mandate to them work.
Yes the effects of the world cup seems to have mainly been in the big centres but there have been a number of smaller towns who had very creative, entreprneurial citizens who drew tens of people to their camp sites, offering services foreigners in ways mainstream economic advisors could not have imagined.
Yes we have a long way to go, but lets use that mind set that says ".South Africans.het a plan" - to make our communities vibrant, economically active palce where people can dream and live this same positivity this past few weeks evoked. We now know we can do great things once we work together for a common goal.
I agree it's important to take stock of the event in a balanced way but want to urge us all to not scheme over the many unexpected gains.
HIlary Joy
A very proud Capetonian/ South African
In the first day of the World Cup aftermath I must say that as I am not much of a football fan it is a relief to me it is all over. This being said however I do believe that the event itself was an incredible achievement for South Africa and all South Africans in that yet again the cynics and pessimists who predicted doom and disaster have been proven wrong – just as they were by the success of our democratic ‘Rainbow’ election in 1994.
Botrivier.
Hi,
It sure was a big SUCCESS especially for the existing operators and service providers in the industry. However the tourism experience for the visitors could have been soooo much more cultural enriching and the benefits to the tourism industry that off the beaten track sooo much more rewarding but for a small link that was missing in the supply chain, specifically the information supply chain. That link is called visitor info centres (VIC's). The one legacy that is NOT in the collective bouquet of legacy flowers is sustainable VIC's that can amongst a plethora of benefits also act as conduit to "mainstream" our emerging entrepreneurs that have much to contribute to the diversity and deepening of the cultural experience of our beautiful country. Imagine the combination of our beautiful country and the beautiful game.
The tourism rand have not reached where it could have made the biggest difference..... our rural heartland. It does not mean that the tourists should have gone to all the lovely "unknown" places. Performing groups, artists and story tellers could have been used more extensively at venues, accommodation establishments, fan parks and shopping centres. The problem often was access to these service providers. The missing link was.....yes you have guest it info offices. The central role that a functional, well budgeted info office play is often misunderstood. A VIC should provide for both the visitor and the ratepayers; the community in the geographical area around the VIC. It serves as a conduit for both incoming and outgoing info. It serves as an interactive zone for exchange.
VIC's or Cooperative Business Centres if applied in its broadest sense will be the axle for tourism growth and LED. It must be the place where the public and the private sector find and engage one another for the benefit of the community at large and visiting tourist and business people. Where the pooling of resources will optimize the prosperity of our people.
Let's get our VIC's or CBC ready for the 2020 Olympics!! Let the municipalities full fill its legal mandate and fund this essential missing link in our tourism plant.
Charl Fouche
083 702 2040
www.leisureconsultancy.co.za
