A World Cup of Hope, Not Fear

Oliver Holt, sports columnist for the UK’s Daily Mirror, returns to South Africa to look at preparations for the 2010 World Cup. Here’s his take in today’s paper. It’s a wonderful piece and needs to be read by anyone who is thinking of coming to SA for the Cup but having qualms about it being Africa and all those idiotic reports about the German team needing bullet proof vests.

Among the people Holt quotes is Matshelane Mamabolo, editor of Shoot (who was robbed during the 2006 Cup in Germany):

“The security aspect of South Africa is being highly exaggerated by the Europeans who just cannot accept that we are going to host the World Cup.

“Yes, ours can be a pretty unsafe country. But as the Confederations Cup proved, there is no need for any international journo to be travelling around in armoured vehicles.

“We have tourists from all over the world coming to South Africa every week and most of them can be seen roaming the streets of Joburg or Soweto and other parts of our country carrying their cameras.

“Crime is often petty and opportunistic but it ridiculous to make out our country is some type of a war zone. The World Cup is going to be one heck of a party and the sooner your countrymen stop being ridiculous about it, the better.”