A famous football manager once said: "football isn't a matter of life and death. It's much more important than that." Anyone witnessing the excitement and patriotic fervour of this week might be inclined to agree with him.
Today, the euphoria will go into overdrive as we edge towards the opening ceremony and first match of the tournament. It is finally here!
On behalf of the Democratic Alliance I would like to wish Bafana Bafana the very best of luck in their game against Mexico today, and over the next four weeks. And when I say four weeks, I am saying I think we have what it takes to go all the way.
We are a nation driven by hope and optimism. We are on form and anyone who watched the Denmark game could discern a new found confidence in the players. Coach Carlos Pereira says that the din of the Vuvuzelas is like having a 12th player on the field. From what I have seen over the last few days, I believe him.
What is equally important off the field is that all South Africans are uniting behind Bafana Bafana - something that would have been unthinkable to those who, like a British tabloid, predicted that a race war would erupt in South Africa, even warning readers of machete-wielding gangs roaming the streets!
The show of unity we have witnessed in the build up to the World Cup is encouraging to all of us who believe that South Africa has the potential to become one nation, with one prosperous future.
We have also proved the naysayers wrong who said that South Africa didn't have what it takes to host a successful tournament. There was no shortage of people writing us off, most of who had a poor grasp of our country, our continent and our capabilities. One foreign journalist said that Egypt would have been a better host nation. "If Egyptians were able to build the pyramids, they could surely host a World Cup," she reasoned.
Fears that South Africa would not be able to finish the stadiums, accommodate fans and provide the requisite standard of transport infrastructure led FIFA to devise a ‘Plan B' that, until 2007, would involve Australia taking over the tournament. These concerns were quickly dispelled when we hosted a successful Confederations Cup last year.
There are still people who, quite legitimately, express their unease at whether South Africans will enjoy any material benefits from hosting the tournament. These are certainly concerns I had when I was Mayor of Cape Town. We conducted an "alternative sites" study for the stadium, but in the end, only Green Point met FIFA's requirements, and our only choice then was whether we would be "in or out" of the World Cup. We obviously had to be part of it.
Initial financial models presented which showed that the City would need to find an additional R1 billion to build the stadium in Green Point - around 25% of the City's total budget for infrastructure - raised alarm bells. But when it became clear that billions of rands would come from national government for infrastructure development to upgrade the airport, the central station, electricity generation infrastructure, public facilities and major roads, it was, as they say, a "no-brainer".
Many people will ask at the end of the tournament whether it was all worth it. This is an important question that will deserve considered analysis. The research I have seen so far is very encouraging. According to research by auditing firm Grant Thornton, the World Cup will contribute R55.7 billion to the South African economy and generate 415,400 jobs. Some 480,000 tourists will spend around R8 billion during their stay in South Africa. The World Cup preparations and infrastructure construction did a great deal to soften the blow of the international financial meltdown in South Africa.
Of course, it remains to be seen whether the prognosis of future benefits is proved correct. What is certain is that the new infrastructure will leave a lasting economic legacy and platform for growth that will benefit everyone. Above all, the World Cup is an unrivalled opportunity to present the real South Africa to the world, not the caricatured version we read about in foreign newspapers. This has the potential to boost tourism and foreign investment for years to come.
We have seen that South Africans of all races can unite behind our country. We have shown we have what it takes to pull off a world class mega-event such as this. Now all we have to do is beat the likes of Brazil, Germany, Spain and England to be the first African team to win the World Cup. That would really prove the naysayers wrong.
But first let's focus on the game against Mexico this afternoon. Enjoy the football!
This article by Helen Zille first appeared in SA Today, the weekly online newsletter of the leader of the Democratic Alliance.
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