South africa is expecting anywhere between 350 000 and 450 000 foreign visitors for the duration of the 2010 Fifa World Cup. Even the global economic downturn is not going to stop the world’s premier soccer tournament from being a great catalyst for development in Southern Africa.

Spending within South Africa has already boosted the economy to a significant degree. Huge amounts of government money have gone into improving infrastructure: R8.4-billion on stadiums; R19-billion on airports; and R5.5-billion on improving roads and railways.

That South Africa is ready to host the Fifa spectacular is no longer in question. In 2009, the country successfully hosted the Indian Premier League cricket tournament, the British and Irish Lions rugby tour, and the Fifa Confederations Cup. Furthermore, the International Cricket Council’s Champions’ Trophy was set to be played at various South African venues in September 2009. Increasingly, South Africa is seen as a world-class sporting venue.

Nelspruit, in Mpumalanga, is one of nine South African cities that will host Fifa World Cup matches. The made-to-order 46 000-seater Mbombela Stadium will host four first-round matches. The province expects to leverage increased tourism income in the years that follow 2010. South Africa’s tourism industry has been bucking the international trend for some time, with arrival numbers heading upwards. In 2008, South Africa had 9.5 million foreign visitors, up by half a million on the previous year. It confidently expects that the soccer tournament will further benefit South Africa via the ‘Barcelona Effect’. The city of Barcelona enjoyed several years of improved international image and vastly increased visitor numbers in the period after it hosted the Summer Olympics in 1992.

As the newly elected Mpumalanga premier, David Mabuza said in his inaugural address in 2009, ‘The privilege of hosting some of the 2010 events in Nelspruit creates opportunities for the province, but also poses a number of challenges. The opportunities lie in the potential for the province to utilise the 2010 soccer spectacular to catalyse economic development, particularly in the tourism sector. The substantial public investment in infrastructure vastly enhances our potential for growth.’ The premier defined the major challenge as ensuring that the benefits of the tournament would be shared between all the citizens of the province.

The stadium
The Mbombela Stadium is a world-class facility that will be handed over by the builders in late October 2009. Costing approximately R1-billion, the stadium will be used after the World Cup as a venue for the province’s major soccer teams and for concerts and exhibitions. It is hoped that rugby will also be persuaded to use the stadium but other economic activities are planned to ensure that the stadium becomes a full-time facility.

The facility was designed by R&L Architects and Artech, and the main contractors were Basil Read and French firm Bouygues. In a nod to the stadium’s location near the Kruger National Park, the stadium’s concrete-and-steel roof supports are designed to look like giraffe necks. The stadium includes a VIP lobby, banqueting facilities, a players’ bus tunnel, two sets of generators, CCTV cameras, first-aid rooms, hydrotherapy facilities, four dressing rooms, two players’ lounges, two training fields, two warmup areas, a gymnasium, refreshment kiosks, management offices and storerooms.

Wiehahn, the company that did the stadium’s formwork and scaffolding, reports that the site consumed 50 000 cubic metres of concrete, 6 000 tonnes of steel rebar and 90 000 square metres of formwork.

In early July 2009, the land on which the stadium is being built was bought by Mbombela Local Municipality. The purchase price for the 69.7-hectare plot was R8.7-million. The land is part of a larger 5 700-hectare farm outside Nelspruit that was restored to the Matsafeni people as part of a land claim in 2002. Discussions between the municipality and the Matsafeni Trust about how to transform the whole precinct into an economic node are under way.

International impact
Cooperation between various agencies is ensuring that the benefits of the tournament extend beyond South Africa’s boundaries.

One major international scheme set to benefit all of Southern Africa is the Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) 2010 Development Strategy. This envisages the spinoff from the tournament being felt in Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Collectively, these countries will use the World Cup to develop seven transfrontier conservation areas in the region. The TFCA route will offer the experience of two oceans, varied landscapes, major rivers, deserts, canyons, mountains and diverse cultures across the nine countries in one trail.

2010 TFCA developments include joint marketing, development of services and packages, investment and infrastructure and ease of movement for tourists across borders. The brand name chosen for the TFCAs is Boundless Southern Africa.

As a first stage in popularising the message, veteran explorer Kingsley Holgate set off across Africa along the Boundless Africa route in May 2009. Along his route, soccer fields are being upgraded or built and, when he arrives at each venue, soccer balls and whistles were distributed. Teams from each venue will eventually compete for the Boundless Southern Africa trophy, further cementing the link between expanded tourism opportunities and the Fifa Soccer World Cup.

Other areas of cooperation include neighbouring countries providing muchneeded accommodation. Nowhere is this better illustrated than in Mpumalanga, which shares borders with Swaziland and Mozambique. Planners are trying to source nearly 20 000 beds. As of early 2009, there was a bed deficit of 13 467, but 3 296 new beds were since found in Swaziland and Mozambique.

The tournament is also serving as a stimulus for development within neighbouring countries. The government of Mozambique will spend US$51-million on the rehabilitation of a railway line between Maputo and South Africa, and is also upgrading its road network. Mozambique is investing US$600-million in new hotels, casinos and other leisure facilities.

Legacy
As part of the legacy programme, the Ehlanzeni District Municipality is rolling out an artificial pitch project at KaMhlushwa in Nkomazi, Mashishing at Thaba Chweu, and at the existing Emjindini Stadium in Umjindi.

The Driekoppies Stadium and City Royal soccer fields were grassed for the first time in 2009, courtesy of a R1.2-million infrastructure grant from the Development Bank of Southern Africa. This stems from the creation of a new tournament that started in 2005 as a move to popularise and promote the 2010 Fifa World Cup and the Selati Super Cup. The Selati Cup event has grown from the initial 32 participants to 150 teams playing in 2009 for the first prize of R55 000.

The Selati Cup is a public-private partnership between the provincial Department of Culture, Sport and Recreation, the municipalities of Ehlanzeni (district) and Nkomazi (local), and various private partners, including naming-rights sponsor Tsb Sugar, Standard Bank, Vulombe, Trac and Buscor. The Kruger National Park was also supportive.

Arising out of the Selati Cup is the decision to start a new league in the eastern part of Mpumalanga, which will compete in the promotion league. This yet-to-be-named super league is to be funded by Tsb Sugar and will make a huge contribution to discovering and nurturing football talent. Perhaps a team from this area will one day join Mpumalanga Black Aces in the national Premier Soccer League.

Another enduring initiative in Mpumalanga is a five-year partnership signed between the Mpumalanga government and the State of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. Sporting programmes will be introduced in schools to coach sports and teach life skills.

Infrastructure upgrades
The provincial government has set aside approximately R9-billion for projects over three years, all of which are driven by the short-term needs of the 2010 tournament but, most importantly, also fall within the broader goals of the province as well.

A total of R160-million will be spent on roads in preparation for the Fifa World Cup. An amount of R11-million has been made available by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to assist with traffic law enforcement while roads are being upgraded. GEF aims to address global environmental issues while supporting sustainable development initiatives.Many of the roads around Nelspruit are being widened to create a high-occupancy-vehicle lane.

The R40 is being worked on and five bridges around the capital city are being widened, including the old railway bridge and the Crocodile River bridge. All of this will have a broader impact on the economic future of these areas, in promoting quicker access and ease of transporting goods and services. Investors will have additional reasons to look at Mpumalanga.

Security and disaster management
The provincial government has an integrated 2010 Safety and Security Plan in place, and a Disaster Management Centre has been constructed. A number of hospitals have received some upgrading and new emergency vehicles have been purchased. Several of the province’s emergency medical services stations have also had new equipment installed as part of specific upgrades geared to the tournament.

The national South African Police Service has recruited extra personnel for the tournament, specialist crowd-control training has been done and volunteers have been signed up to assist with crowd control. Nelspruit have received five new police vehicles from Fifa to help them to increase visible policing.

Advice and counselling will be available to any tourists unfortunate enough to be victims of crime. An initiative of the tourism authority in Ermelo has seen the establishment of a trauma centre that will have interpreters on call. Centre staff will liaise with South African authorities on behalf of tourists in the event of lost or stolen passports.

KEY CONTACTS
2010 Fifa World Cup Organising Committee South Africa: www.fifa.com
Mbombela Local Municipality: www.mbombela.gov.za Shine 2010: www.shine2010.co.za
South Africa 2010: www.sa2010.gov.za