South Africa is ready for the World Cup, a top official claims. Despite some negative reports about its readiness, the country is set to host the massive global sporting event beginning in June. South Africa will be the first African country ever to be the site of the world soccer championship sponsored by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (known by its acronym, FIFA, pronounced “fee-fuh”). With less than 70 days to go, South Africa is racing to be prepared to welcome hundreds of footballers and several hundred thousand tourists and to ensure that the tournament will function smoothly.
The country is still struggling to finish on time all construction of necessary roads and venues and to complete plans for adequate electricity for the 10 stadiums that will be utilized. Most of the event’s sponsors, as well as building contractors and hotel operators involved in preparation, are private companies. They claim not to be burdened by problems with efficiency such as the government is experiencing. With ticket sales topping the two-thirds point, FIFA officials continue to express confidence that the World Cup in South Africa will be a success. Some concerns remain, however, over reducing crime and minimizing potential threats of terrorism or violent protests.
The main focus is on Johannesburg, which has staged global sporting events in cricket and rugby in the past. Jo’burg will be the main entry point for foreigners and also the site of opening and closing ceremonies. The first game is set to start June 11. The games involving 32 national teams are scheduled to run for one month, with the championship on July 11. The USA team will begin play in Group C, against England, Algeria, and Slovenia.
Related Links
- 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa
This is the official Web site of the World Cup, sponsored by FIFA—all World Cup, all the time—photos, news on players and teams, even a ticker counting down the days, hours, minutes, and yes, seconds …
(Source: www.fifa.com; accessed March 31, 2010) - South African Official Says Country Is Ready for World Cup
In this article South Africa, the first African country ever to play host, defends its level of preparation for the massive event that is the World Cup.
(Source: Wall Street Journal, March 23, 2010) - Broken Dreams on World Stage
This article recounts the loss to injury of David Beckham, the most-celebrated soccer player in the world and star of England’s team; Beckham’s Achilles tendon was bent to the snapping point in a match on March 14. Unfortunate for England—but fortunate for every other team with hopes of winning in South Africa.
(Source: www.fifa.com, March 19, 2010) - Map of South Africa
South Africa, located at the southernmost tip of the continent, will host games in Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Nelspruit, Polokwane, Port Elizabeth, Pretoria, and Rustenburg.
(Source: The University of Texas)
Other Issues in the Region
The Legacy of Colonialism
The European colonizers who divided the African continent among themselves, gave little consideration to the people living there. They disrupted borders separating various ethnic groups and frequently overturned the governments of those groups. New borders often pushed warring groups together, setting the stage for civil conflicts and border wars that have continued to this day. Sudan, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Ivory Coast, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Sierra Leone, and the Democratic Republic of Congo are among the countries that have been torn by corruption, political unrest, and brutal wars.
- Fierce Fighting Spreads in Ivory Coast Showdown
Fighting in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, escalated after continued assaultsby forces backing diputed president-elect Alassane Quattara. Conflicts between pro-Quattara forces and supporters of incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo have been ongoing since Gbagbo refused to step down after the November 2010 presidential election. The months-long standoff between Gbagbo and Quattara has reignited the country’s 2002-2003 civil war. More than 1,500 people have been killed since the violence began. The African Union, the United Nations, the United States, and Ivory Coast’s former colonial ruler France have called on Gbagbo to step down and cede the presidency to Quattara. (Source: Reuters, April 1, 2011)
Economic Development
Economic development remains a major challenge for African nations. After colonial rule ended, many African nations continued the colonial practice of exporting raw materials instead of using those materials to produce manufactured goods. Like the colonial powers before them, leaders of the newly independent African nations and a few multinational corporations based in Europe, Asia, and North America have benefited greatly from the export of natural resources. Meanwhile, in all but a few African nations, civil wars and cross-border wars, corrupt governments, foreign debt, and the AIDS crisis have severely hampered economic growth.
However, Africa is changing. A growing awareness of the need for economic diversification is taking hold and inspiring action. Education and democratic principles are increasingly recognized as keys to progress. But some concerned leaders say that along with these principles, there must be fair trade, reduced subsidies and tariffs by the major players in the world market, greater rights for African workers, and greater empowerment of women. About 55 percent of Africa’s people are under age 18, and this group especially needs education and employment if Africans are to break the cycle of poverty. Africa’s human capital and abundant natural resources offer great potential, but these assets need to be developed for the good of a greater number of people in Africa.
- AU Summit Identifies Key Priority Infrastructure Projects
Members of the African Union Assembly endorsed key projects identified by an infrastructure subcommittee at the African Union Summit in January 2011. Projects will address infrastructure needs in transportation and energy sectors up to 2040. (Source: African Development Bank Group, February 1, 2011)
Health Care
The African continent faces many serious health issues. They range from high rates of infant mortality to shortened life spans for those who survive past infancy. The reasons that many Africans have shorter than average life spans often stem from the continent’s high rates of poverty, malnutrition, and disease. Public health departments in Africa must deal with a variety of illnesses, including those transmitted by insects (such as malaria, which is spread by mosquitoes, and sleeping sickness, which is spread by the tsetse fly). Other diseases are associated with parasites and bacteria found in improperly cooked food and contaminated water. Still other serious diseases, such as hepatitis-B, are spread through viruses transmitted from human to human. Tuberculosis and polio are also a concern, as is the occasional outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus. The greatest health concern is the AIDS crisis in sub-Saharan Africa, which is home to over 70 percent of the world’s AIDS-infected people and where around 19 million Africans have died of AIDS.
- South Africa Still Struggling with Deadly TB-HIV Epidemic
In an update to his feature on tuberculosis in South Africa, Ray Suarez reports on the country’s still-high rates of tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS and instances of co-infection. (Source: pbs.org, March 24, 2011)
A rolinlg stone is worth two in the bush, thanks to this article.