The recent world cup in Germany was a great success, but then they are good at this sort of thing, and have built infrastructure and run even bigger events before.

Here at the southern tip of Africa the skills and experience needed to pull off events like these are not here and work on major 2010 projects should have become visible by now. Speaking of where I live, knocking down an old but paid-for stadium is one thing, building the architect’s ego-trip replacement, at staggering cost, is another. And have the squabbles over the appointment of BEE contractors, and only after that the myriad BEE sub-contractors, been resolved with finality? Will the contractors and sub-contractors have sufficient time to draw up realistic and cost-efficient project schedules and timetables, not forgetting all the finishing work prior to commissioning, which can take ages? Will the skills and materials be available?

And then it all has to be paid for. Have government, local authorities and the private sector straightened out who will be paying for what - finally and irrevocably? Have local ratepayers been given any say in the spending of billions of rands of their money? I think not, and be in no doubt, at local level the entities that will be bearing the cost are not the same as those which will be receiving the revenue.

Politicians think only as far as the next election, and like actors, get their gratification from hearing hands slapping together. Unlike the TV industry and the hot dog vendors, it is the tax and local authority ratepayers who will be left to foot the bill. For decades. Ask the Greeks.

And if any part of this huge endeavour starts running behind schedule, and it will, that work will have to be expedited, at immense and ruinous cost. Ask any Civil Engineer.

So what are we to do? Well we could sit on the sidelines and carp, and then say I told you so; or we could do the little that we can to push for a happy outcome - which would be to keep prodding the authorities to get a move on, and maybe cut out some of the more extravagant features that they have in mind, remembering that this is a sports event, not a publicity stunt, whilst at the same time keeping a beady eye out for any sign of financial shenanigans that could shame the country afterwards. Any other ideas?