I'M sure there was never an opening of an Oscar, Emmy or Grammy envelope as
eagerly and nervously anticipated (and then emotionally received) by so many
people as the one that revealed South Africa would host the 2010 Soccer
World Cup. Whew!
So, when the highs start declining and the partying slows down, what will
the event - promoted as the second-largest international event after the
Olympics - mean for us?
In June 2002, when writing about the value of sporting events to a country
and cities, I quoted the following: "The total investment in the current
[2002] Soccer World Cup was a staggering $2,5-billion by South Korea and
$5-billion by Japan. That translates to not far off R100-billion in our
money!
"The direct and indirect economic benefits are estimated at $8,8-billion for
South Korea and $26-billion for Japan - 2,2 percent and 0,6 percent of GDP
respectively, hardly chickenfeed!"
And the Olympics in Barcelona in 1992 provided the impetus for an investment
of more than $8-billion in infrastructure and housing.
Miquel Botella, writing about the "Keys to Success of the Barcelona Games",
says: "Everyone agrees that the real success of the Barcelona Olympic
Games - and the Paralympic Games - was the transformation which the city
underwent, with development which normally takes decades taking place in
only six years."
GMP Swann, of the University of Manchester's business school, says planners
identify four benefits of such events:
urban redevelopment.
So, what will the event do for the inner city? What will be left as a legacy
to Joburg's citizens?
Let's start at the eastern end of the city, an area encompassing
Doornfontein, New Doornfontein, the Ellis Park sports precinct and Bertrams.
This must be the major focus for the inner city - I know there are other
areas in the metro that will be involved, but my interest is the inner city
itself. And, let's face it, if any area needs the upliftment offered by the
World Cup, this is it.
The area, which probably covers 150 to 200 acres, is an area of mixed use:
business, residential, light industrial, a little retail and many education
and sports facilities.
The sporting facilities themselves are excellent, though underused, but the
general environment is under severe stress. Drive through the streets and
you sense decay and disintegration. Overcrowding abounds and slumlords
thrive.
I remember visiting a three-bedroom home in Bertrams 10 years ago that
housed 75 people. And they each paid R200 a month for a living area the size
of a postage stamp.
A number of industrial buildings have been illegally sub-divided for
residential occupation and the area has attracted a large number of
immigrants. Also, a survey we did some years ago revealed many criminals in
the area.
Of course it wasn't always so. Doornfontein derives its name from one of the
many farms that preceded the finding of gold in 1886. Almost immediately
afterwards entrepreneurs began to set out what was to become the first
luxury residential suburb in the city. By 1891 it was being referred to as
"posh"; the "par excellence swagger suburb"; "patrician Doornfontein"; and
"a villa neighbourhood".
Neighbouring Bertrams - named after Robertson Fuller Bertrams, an early
explorer of the goldfields who acquired the ground and developed Bertrams,
Bellevue East and Lovettsville - drew mixed classes of people but offered
good housing in a suburban environment.
The first city swimming pool was built in Ellis Park way back in 1908-9,
rugby and tennis established themselves there in the early 1920s, the rugby
stadium was completed in 1982 and the athletics stadium in the late 1990s.
But, in the past few decades, the area has steadily deteriorated into a slum
and the stunning residential buildings of the turn-of-the-century have,
sadly, disappeared.
But the area has exciting potential. It is already well served by trains,
mini-bus taxis and buses, and has an excellent road network. Its sports
facilities are internationally known and it is home to major educational
institutions. It also has a significant history that has left an endowment
of numerous heritage buildings - admittedly nearly all in appalling
condition.
In other words, it has the latent assets and potential for delivering that
great ingredient so often lacking in our urban areas - a sense of place. The
World Cup will provide the impetus to release the assets and harvest the
potential of the area.
I believe that 2010 gives us the motivation, the time and the money for a
serious upgrade that can turn this area into something extraordinary. There
must be many supplementary and complementary sports facilities that could be
clustered in the area. Where buildings have already been demolished or where
they must be due to their condition, we need to provide parks and sports
facilities, especially for children - for everyone will want space to play
and kick a ball.
Housing is going to need careful and sympathetic handling: the refurbishment
must embrace all and not displace the "real citizens" who live there.
Residential and sporting facilities must be linked to the proposed
inner-city transport system.
Then there was talk some years ago about redeveloping the source of the
Jukskei River and opening the watercourse eastwards, towards the airport.
That could be a spectacular addition to the city's assets - attracting all
kinds of new activities.
How about improved street-lighting festooned with colourful banners;
restored open spaces between the sports facilities; and new hotels,
restaurants, shops and sports facilities. And a museum celebrating South
African and international soccer heroes!
And what about the city centre? Perhaps this will be the catalyst to lift
the proposed inner-city distribution system to a level that, without the
World Cup stimulus, might not have been possible.
How about a light-rail link to our new centres of interest - Newtown and its
growing number of eating and entertainment venues, Fordsburg, Chinatown, the
Main Street Mining Mall, Gandhi Square, the Faraday Muti Market, Kwa
Mai-Mai, Constitution Hill, Drill Hall, the Fashion District, Jewel City -
we have so much to show off. What better way to do so than through safe,
clean, fast and reliable rapid light rail - linked to Gautrain?.
The Carlton Hotel will re-open; the Braamfontein hotels will overflow; B&Bs
and tourist shebeens will be established; Mary Fitzgerald Square will show
games on its giant screen; and hundreds of soccer ambassadors will be
trained to help tourists and sell our city's incredible history.
What about all our kombi-taxis being painted in the colours of the South
African flag; what motivation to send their owners to driving school!
However, there is another side to all this. Swann's research also points out
that "the really important legacy may not be seen in the physical
infrastructure, nor in the accumulation of competencies in local industry,
but in a lasting effect on the consumption and culture of the citizen."
If you watched some of the games in which South Korea participated in 2002,
you may have been struck by footage of people watching TV screens in Seoul.
They were shown collecting their own rubbish. Why? Because the South Korean
environment ministry saw an opportunity for a "green" World Cup.
Civic groups drafted a four-point action plan that included recommendations
to grow flowers and plant trees for public display -"these little actions
not only satisfy the individuals who do them, but also uplift other people
by making our society a better place to live".
This is a great opportunity for all South Africans, but it is also a great
opportunity for our city: we need to get solidly behind all levels of
government - particularly local - to ensure that the legacy of the Soccer
World Cup is a lasting one that benefits future generations.
Viva the 2010 World Cup, viva!
