World Cup - It's here!

Andrew Layman:  PCB CEO

It is here!   And it is clear that thousands of South Africans are feeling it.   The countrywide-vibe is something to be behold as displaying one’s support of Bafana Bafana and the country has become a contagion that has swept across the land.    It is worth considering how important this is in relation to nation-building, for the sudden enthusiasm for soccer and the national team has gripped even the white community.    Up to this point in time, and last weekend’s stampede aside, there is much to make us proud as South Africans.    We have matched the best in terms of our stadia and we have brought them to readiness in good time.   The completion and successful operation of the King Shaka International Airport is a triumph.    The debacle over the statue of the hero after whom the airport is named is really insignificant when it is considered that this huge project was completed on schedule despite quite a number of difficulties on the way.    Then it became operational without any visible disruption to airline or passenger services.   What a logistical exercise this must have been, yet it was accomplished, an achievement that Heathrow couldn’t match in the commissioning of its new terminal.   We should also celebrate the little-known fact that ACSA and Bidvest were two members of the consortium chosen to modernise the airport in Mumbai. 

This week the Gautrain was opened to the public.  While this project cost far, far more than originally estimated and is not fully completed, it will introduce one of the most sophisticated express rail services in the world, enabling people to travel from OR Tambo Airport to Sandton in fourteen minutes.    When its other services are introduced, public transport in Gauteng will be transformed.   In radio interviews several people who travelled on the Gautrain and have experience of similar services elsewhere in the world, rated it as the best – quieter and more comfortable.   While we wrestle with some incompetence in government, we should acknowledge that the country also abounds in technical and operational expertise which enables South Africa to compete with, even lead, the very best in the world.

It has been said many times that the real value in the FIFA World Cup lies in its legacy.   The improved infrastructure, prompted by the soccer festival more than any other factor, will serve us and a later generation very well.    In addition to this, millions of people across the globe will get an in depth look at the country on their television screens.   The value of this marketing opportunity is incalculable and one hopes that South Africans will realise that many will judge the country on its people more than the infrastructure.   If we ever needed a disciplined population, it is now.  Its warmth is not in question, I don’t think.  Visiting players and spectators must be mightily impressed by the enthusiasm that is evident in all quarters of the country and I’m sure this will translate into accommodating and considerate friendliness as people unite in their mutual love of the beautiful game and the spectacular event.

The Afro-pessimists have gone quiet.   They have been proved wrong in many ways already.   Although one cannot take everything for granted, there is no reason to believe that the running of the event will be marred in any way.  Let’s be reasonable, however.  Some things will not work out as planned.  Nowhere in the world has an event of this magnitude been staged without some mishaps.   There will be the usual post mortem and we might not like everything that comes out during this phase.  In the meantime, however, let us celebrate our right to host the World Cup and take deep pride in the fact that we have already exceeded many expectations.   Perhaps the national team will do so, as well.  Certainly, the players have never been blessed with such fervent support.    We are in the grip of national pride and renewed hope for reconciliation.    Perhaps this will prove to be the most valuable legacy of all.   

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