SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - WORLD CUP 2010 - World Cup is bitter-sweet for township residents in Nelspruit

Record ID: 455307

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - WORLD CUP 2010 - World Cup is bitter-sweet for township residents in Nelspruit
  • Date: 25th June 2010
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF MATHEWS MWALI OUTSIDE HIS HOUSE READING A NEWSPAPER
  • Embargoed: 10th July 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: South Africa
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA7VEDFBZ1VZSSFHMXJD5UE1U8T
  • Story Text: Mbombela is one of the most atmospheric new stadiums built for the 2010 World Cup, nestled among the beautiful hills of northeast South Africa and supported by orange pylons that resemble giraffes.
    But the almost 1.3 billion rand ($172 million) stadium towers just beside a residential area that seems a world away. Residents of the nearby township of Mataffin complain about living in poor conditions with no running water, poor electricity supply and no service delivery.
    The area was clouded by a string of scandals when there was a failed attempt by the municipality to buy the stadium land from the Matsafeni community owners for one rand. An angry high court judge blocked the deal, accusing the municipality of being like colonial settlers who tried to buy land for mirrors and shiny buttons. The Matsafeni then agreed on a transfer worth almost nine million rand.
    Mataffin resident Mathews Mwali worked on the construction of the stadium once work began.
    Previously unemployed, Mwali was happy to have a paying job that could support his wife and three children. But after the stadium hosts the last of its four World Cup matches this Friday (June 25), Mwali fears that when the tournament is over, it will be back to square one.
    "The fever is here, but my disappointment is still there. Nothing will change up until they change everything. Because I cannot be saying I am happy because the World Cup is only there for a month. After the World Cup, the problems start again," Mwali said.
    Most Mataffin residents had hoped that their lives would change with the construction of a World Cup stadium in their back yard.
    "The stadium is built and all the roads are built but we live here in Mataffin and there is nothing that we are getting. We are still drinking this water and the stadium is surrounded by a fence. We still live in shacks, nothing has been done for us till now," said Thuli Mhaule a resident of Mataffin.
    "If they can help us to build houses and give us water so we don't have to use this water we collect here now, electricity, maybe we can be happy," said Thalitha Mashele, another resident of Mataffin.
    Nelspruit Mayor Lassy Chiwayo said that once the World Cup is over, the town is hoping to become a hub for visitors touring between neighbouring Mozambique and nearby Swaziland.
    But he admitted that mistakes were made and the residents of Mataffin are right to expect more.
    "One of those things that one is on record for really saying and admitting is the fact that we failed our people there. I refer to it as a crime against humanity. You don't have a situation where you deliberately decide to locate a facility of that nature in an informal environment and not at the same time look at a process that will ensure simultaneous development which will mark benefits that accrue from that development. When we moved in two years ago, it's one of those observations we made that in spite of the fact that we have this major event we are hosting, there is not even a master plan for the city on how it will reach this destiny," said the Mayor.
    Despite the controversies over World Cup projects that have tainted the host country, business has been brisk for restaurant and hotel owners with thousands of visitors making their way to the otherwise quiet town.
    But while one can imagine the stadiums in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town being used for big sporting events and concerts, that is harder to picture in Nelspruit, an agricultural hub of just 220,000 people.
    Chiwayo said the council is planning a "timetable" throughout the year that would sustain the economic activity seen now.
    "You need a clear integrated tourism plan, you need a comprehensive, all year round timetable of events. You need to generate a sense of vibrancy that will ensure that there are activities all year round within the city of cultural, spiritual, of educational, of tourism nature, we need a serious linkage of the services, the products and the infrastructure around," said Chiwayo.
    Chiwayo also said that there is a 3-4 year plan to develop Mataffin and improve housing and service delivery.
    Residents of Mataffin say they have heard the promises before and can only wait and see if they materialise after the attention of the world shifts elsewhere at the end of the World Cup.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: Video restrictions: parts of this video may require additional clearances. Please see ‘Business Notes’ for more information.
Register