The critics were silenced when South Africa pulled off a near flawless World Cup, but sceptics still question the wisdom of spending around R40 billion to wow the world, asking “what now?”.

In July, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan announced that the government estimates the event added one percentage point to South Africa’s economic growth for 2010/11, when spending on stadiums and infrastructure is taken into account. This is higher than initial estimates of an additional 0.5 percentage points to the country’s gross domestic product growth this year.

“Hosting the 2010 Fifa World Cup acted as a catalyst for expanding our infrastructure base, skills development, employment creation and economic growth,” said Gordhan, adding that the tournament had undoubtedly boosted the country’s standing internationally.

However, a mere 10 days after the final World Cup whistle blew, South African Football Association (Safa) chief executive officer Leslie Sedibe told a parliamentary committee on sport and recreation that there are challenges to be overcome to keep South Africa’s world-class venues in use and profitable; and this sentiment has been echoed by many citizens who say the stadiums are in danger of becoming white elephants.

Pieter Cronjé, communications director for the City of Cape Town, says an experienced operator, SAIL Stadefrance, has been appointed to run Cape Town Stadium as a multipurpose venue – for soccer, rugby, concerts and big events.

“During the 30-year lease period, the City of Cape Town, as the owners of the asset, will receive 30% of earnings before tax,” he says.

Although there are no guarantees of the sustainability of any South African stadium used during the Soccer World Cup, a multipurpose venue attains viability in many ways, with facilities rental, commercial merchandising and events programmes of differing overheads, crowd sizes and profit margins, adds Cronjé.

“Cape Town’s stadium has a better chance than most because of its superb location which offers excellent visual backdrops for television coverage. It is also close to a public transport hub, the business and accommodation centres of the city and next to the successful Victoria and Alfred Waterfront.”

The City of Cape Town invested R1.1 billion of the total stadium cost of R4.5bn (the balance came from the national and provincial governments), a portion of which will be recovered through the sale of the commercial rights of the stadium and the sale of commercial suites.

“During the first few years, maintenance costs will be low, as the stadium is new.

“This will give the stadium time to market and build an events programme so that when maintenance is needed, there is a revenue stream to pay for it and to ensure the stadium remains attractive,” says Cronjé, adding that national government, having invested significantly in stadiums across the country, should consider a national maintenance programme for all the stadiums.

He says that international enquiries about Cape Town have increased since the exposure afforded by the World Cup.

Neil Fourie, Mbombela 2010 project manager, says Nelspruit tried for almost 20 years to raise funds to build a regional stadium, so it is certain to be well utilised.

He adds that in the months following the World Cup, the venue was booked for a Blue Bulls/Pumas match (August 2010), four Premier Soccer League matches, an interprovincial rugby match (February 2011), a seven-a-side rugby tournament (early 2011) and three conferences.

“All sporting codes need to accept the need for a differentiation of ticket prices and the enforcement of numbered seating so that all sectors of the community are catered for, including the fans who cannot afford expensive tickets and higher income fans who can make the venue feasible, but expect an allocated seat for the price of the ticket,” says Fourie.

Polokwane municipality’s 2010 marketing and communications manager Mantlako Sebaka is positive about the sustainability of the Peter Mokaba Stadium.

“To offset maintenance costs, the municipality intends to host 12 to 15 big events per annum, and the rates of hiring the stadium for a particular event will be taken into consideration versus ticket costs. We could also accommodate corporate offices as well as conferences in our two 500-seater VIP Lounges,” he says.

In August, the stadium hosted the World Football Championships of the International Sports Federation for Persons with Intellectual Disability. “Other events are still under discussion,” says Sebaka.

Bloemfontein’s Vodacom Park (formerly Free State Stadium) is already being utilised by Free State Cheetahs for home matches, says Lele Mamatu, director for media liaison and public relations of the Mangaung 2010 World Cup Office.

“Our local football team, Bloemfontein Celtics, is also expected to take some of its games to Free State Stadium.

“Vodacom Park was traditionally known as the local rugby stadium. However, with the hosting of the World Cup, it has re-established itself as not only a multipurpose stadium, but one with the capacity to host international games involving high-profile teams. The look and feel of the stadium will now clearly recognise both soccer and rugby,” he says.

Morio Sanyane, Safa’s communications and media director, says the association’s primary aim is to continue raising the quality of football in South African and maintain the World Cup momentum by providing exciting football experiences to be enjoyed at the world-class stadiums of which South Africa can be so proud.

“Other sporting codes should explore possibilities of utilising these magnificent facilities. After all, they belong to all South Africans and we need to be innovative and ensure that they are sustainable,” he says.

Rich Mkhondo, chief communications officer of the 2010 Fifa World Cup local organising committee (LOC), says that when the bids of the host cities were considered, an important factor was their business plans.

“This looked at the issue of sustainability and management.

“We hope the cities will find strong management companies to ensure the stadiums’ sustainability. It was encouraging to see, for instance, Soccer City hosting three high-profile events within a month or so after the World Cup, namely the Telkom Charity Cup, the Bafana game against Ghana, and the Springboks’ Tri-Nations match against the All Blacks,” he added.

With its Olympic-sized athletics track already an added drawcard, and the securing of a number of international Pro 20 cricket matches, Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium is another encouraging example, according to Mkhondo.

Another 2010 legacy is that of football development, and much has been done by Safa in partnership with Fifa to enhance the country’s football development model.

“In 2008, Fifa conducted a technical workshop which involved South African coaches from various levels. After three days of intense deliberations, we came up with a long-term development plan. The plan had targets and timelines, and we also prioritised the projects,” says Sanyane.

“One such priority was to appoint a technical director responsible for Safa’s development programmes. Coach Serame Letsoaka was duly appointment.”

A priority was the introduction of women’s leagues and the acceleration of coaching programmes in women’s football. “We were fortunate, as Safa is to acquire sponsorship from Sasol and Absa to run these leagues.

“Now, for the first time in the history of women’s football in this country, we have a team that has qualified for the Fifa World Cup,” adds Sanyane, explaining that South Africa’s U17 girls (Bantwana) will compete in Trinidad and Tobago in September 2010.

The LOC built one football turf in each of the 52 Safa regions to promote participation in football, says government spokesperson, Themba Maseko.

The World Cup has left a tangible mark in a number of other areas. Says Cronjé, “Cape Town enjoyed an infrastructure legacy of almost R14bn’s worth of public sector investment (airport, rail, road, public spaces and stadium upgrades); linked private sector investment (eight new hotels plus other developments); and upskilling and greater employability for many construction workers (2 500 at the height of the Cape Town Stadium construction plus other jobs in infrastructure projects), volunteers, casual workers and additional staff for World Cup demands.

“Three thousand Capetonians participated in a talent contest in which they received coaching and advice, and 160 of these entertainers performed on World Cup stages,” he says, adding that the city has benefited from positive international media coverage and favourable visitor experiences.

“Government never intended the World Cup to be an end in itself and an answer to all its socio-economic challenges,” says Maseko.

“It was intended to serve as a launch pad from which South Africa could project itself as a world-class investment and tourism destination. This will, over time, result in benefits for all South Africans, irrespective of present circumstances or condition.”

He adds that the transport investment alone will ensure that by 2020, 85% of our cities’ population will live within a kilometre or closer to an Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network feeder or corridor, giving South Africans easier access to economic opportunities and social services.

“R1 billion was allocated for safety and security matters, including additional service personnel, helicopters and additional resources.

“Procurements for the tournament will now be used by safety and security agencies to ensure a safer country for all who live in it,” Maseko says, adding that this in turn will increase South Africa’s attractiveness for domestic and international business and tourism.

Sebaka says that apart from extensive road construction, Polokwane now enjoys closed-circuit television cameras to monitor both traffic and crime, a 50-cubic litre dam, and better tourism prospects.

“In particular, the Mexicans and Argentineans like the warm and welcoming atmosphere of the city,” he adds.

“Almost half of Bloemfontein’s 2010 capital investment (R600m) was spent on improving transport infrastructure,” says Mamatu. “Some of the roads were pedestrianised to encourage the use of safe, non-motorised transport; others were widened to improve traffic flow; and the taxi rank is being expanded. All these projects are meant to benefit our community for many years to come.”

Some R1bn was set aside for legacy projects in Johannesburg, ensuring residents continue to benefit from the World Cup.

These include street furniture in the inner city; greening of underdeveloped soccer fields; an indoor sports centre complete with an Olympic-sized swimming pool and gymnastics hall in Orlando East; the upgrading of Diepkloof Hostel; greening of Klipspruit River; a bus rapid transit system; and the Soweto Theatre.

Michael Tatalias, CEO of the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association, was so wowed by the tournament’s success, that he is convinced the country should bid for the 2020 Olympic Games. “We may not win the bid, but key to maintaining the World Cup momentum is to keep bidding for all events. If we don’t get Olympics 2020, we should carry on bidding until we do get it.

“Having a fixed deadline was the best thing for Cabinet and government – it focused their minds wonderfully and inspired actual delivery, which for the 14 years before had been patchy at best.”

He says the World Cup did wonders for improving perceptions of South Africa abroad, but equally importantly, saw citizens “buy into” their own country, which should boost domestic tourism.

“A platform has been created for South Africa to arket itself,” Tatalias concludes.

The LOC’s Mkhondo adds that the unprecedented positive global exposure that the tournament generated was priceless. “The World Cup helped expose the country to new markets such as Latin America, Asia and Slovenia.

“There’s no doubt our country is immeasurably better and much more united post the World Cup. The challenge is to build on the momentum and to continue to strive to improve our country for the better for future generations," he adds.

*Pretoria’s Loftus Versfeld Stadium is privately owned, while comment was not forthcoming from the cities of Durban, Port Elizabeth and Rustenburg.

Cathy Grosvenor