“Cape Town is certainly no stranger to diversity, and now the Mother City is getting ready to welcome its guests from all over the world to host the biggest show on Earth. Cape Town will be throwing the ‘mother’ of all parties in 2010 … and everyone is invited.”
http://www.capetown.travel/guide/2010_world_cup/
Over the past 40 years, South African has gone through a lot. The words of Harold Macmillan in 1960, have proven true, “The wind of change is blowing through this continent, whether we like it or not”. From the country being banned from the Olympic Games in 1960, then the later celebrations over the sacking of apart idée laws in 1989; thanks to the impact of Nelson Mandela in his fight alongside the ANC (African National Congress), to today, there is a different feel about the place. Times is healing old wounds as whites, coloured’s and blacks begin to get used to working as one. This summer, as the Fifa world cup comes to Cape Town, the question is: What change will this bring?
Well, for starters, the city is going to be given a much needed R3-billion (£250 million) in transport enhancements and there is a new feature in the skyline; over the past 4 years 2-thousdand construction workers built the 68 thousand seater Green point stadium. I must add; it looks impressive too! This fantastic opportunity gives South Africa to show its true colours and set straight many stereotypes that have evolved.
I asked a Youth Worker from the city, Andre’ Harley, to tell me about what is going on amongst the people at this time. He informed me that the government have declared schools out for the entire month of the games and so Andre’ and his team aim to set up kids clubs and sports events for them “as most of them will be swept in the world cup fever”.
I ask Mr Harley what it was like living in Cape Town at this time. He said there are “mixed feelings” about the event “Some feel that there could not be a better way for South Africa to demonstrate its Prominence to the rest of the world.” However he continued to say that “The other side of the fence feels that the poor do not have much to gain from this. For example, as with most things in South Africa, the average person will not be wasting R100 or R 200 [approximately £9 to £18] plus on a ticket when they can use that money to feed their family for over a week.”
It’s not all hard going though, the World Cup fever is catching on as rumours about a Construction Workers’ Soccer League tells of the Green Point stadium construction team gaining the winner’s cup. Also history is to repeat itself as news is brought forward that the location of the stadium itself was the birth place for soccer in South Africa. 1862 was the year it was reported that 15 officers from the army and a few men from the civil service played a game of footie on this very same patch, wearing knickerbocker’pants and bobble caps.
With less than 80 days to go till the big event there are people that are extremely excited about it all, and then there are those that are not fazed at all. Sounds like football to me... “We hope that the World Cup bug would bite them real soon” Andre’ commented “so that the excitement can extend beyond the borders of just the organising committee and those involved but South Africa as a whole”
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