How long before the FIFA date-rape cocktail wears off?

The World Cup: Let's sober up

Stanley Uys says the euphoria will dissipate and the hard realities remain

Stanley Uys, Politicsweb
11 July 2010

What comes after the euphoria of the World Cup? Expectations. Will these expectations be met? No. Why not? Because if they haven't been met for the past 16 years of African National Congress rule a four-week feel-good factor is not going to make them happen now.

The erection of stadiums and facilities for the World Cup was a remarkable achievement, but it was a one-off. Also, some thought it a scandalous waste of money. Equally impressive achievements, like houses, could have been erected in the black townships where ferment has been simmering for years. What happens now? The ferment goes away? Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille says the "daily reality" for millions of South Africans is dictated by warlords. Will it, too, be gone now by next week?

The ANC clearly shared the feel-good moment that came with the games. But a (UK) Financial Times editorial which concluded that while South Africa had real problems, its success in staging the World Cup "should give it the confidence to tackle those problems with new energy," was naivety beyond belief. That the feel-good factor was a safety valve for intolerable tensions building up in the country is perfectly true, and psychologically interesting, but it remains a passing phenomenon.

Let's be real. After the prozac fix of the World Cup, comes the downer. Occasional prophets (or media praise-singers - just how many times can they change their tune?) may claim they had an experience on the road to Damascus, but not that battle-scarred ANC lot, who have slugged it out with each other for years, and are said now to be having a "dog-fight" in the presidency.

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