Effect of 2010 World Cup on South African Economy

[AndriesH]

Not sure about tourism, but in Gauteng two great, long-overdue projects were launched; the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project ( GFIP ) and the Gautrain.

The GFIP is quite contentious because of the urban tolling, as Dave said, but the new freeways are fantastic and well lit ( when the lights work )

The Gautrain is amazing. SA's first taste of modern high speed peri-urban transport. If I travelled anywhere near its route I would love to use it.

I've noticed a side effect on security. SAPS have re-learnt the old truth that visible patrolling just works. We now have 6 patrol vehicles attached to our police station, on the road 24/7. We have the numbers of the cell phones allocated to the vehicles, so we can call for help in an emergency. Great improvement.

I notice that the Gauteng cops patrol the freeways and have vehicles stationed at intervals along its length now. Good idea.

[tilmann99]

So overall would you say that the biggest improvement was the transport system.

[Dave A]

So overall would you say that the biggest improvement was the transport system.

That thought certainly has merit!

It certainly doesn't seem to have helped our soccer team much

[HR Solutions]

So overall would you say that the biggest improvement was the transport system.

Yes I certainly think that the World Cup did give it a boost. I do also think that smaller businesses e.g. B&B's, Tour guide operators etc got established and improved. To me the World Cup was an amazing experience. We also had the 95 Rugby World Cup which feels like it was just around the corner. The vibe was awesome (especially when we beat the Aussies) - it seemed to really unite the country and I think that it helped us with our way forward. The unity and vibe in the stadiums at the Soccer world Cup was a special thing. I went to 4 world cup games and enjoyed every single minute.

[Phil Cooper]

I think, long term, that tourism benefitted hugely, and this is still being felt.

The number of tourists has continued to rise, year on year, and a few that I have spoken to have mentioned that they either saw the place on TV during the world cup, or spoke to visitors who raved about the place, so effect there was positive.

Coming back to the Stadia - Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town's are still being a drain in ratepayers, totally under-utilised. Nelspruit's is a disaster - I read it is not being properly maintained and is deteriorating, and is hardly ever used. Maybe someone who went to the recent test match there may comment on that?

The developers of the Stadia were fined around R1-bn for "artificially" pushing up the prices of building there, and judging by the comments creeping out of the woodwork recently it looks like the Gauteng road development followed that example. Questions have been asked how the cost escalated from R6-bn to R20-bn in 6 years. If that REALLY gets scrutinised closely will be interesting to see what wriggles out of the woodwork.

I get the feeling that the Soweto stadium made White South Africans realise Soweto is not a bad place to visit. Rugby matches have been played there, and local shebeens and food venues have experienced white South African visitors, whereas previously (probably) around 99% of visitors were overseas visitors on tours. I have spent a couple of very pleasant afternoons there with friends enjoying the ambience of some of the restaurants...