One of the questions about South Africa’s preparation for the World Cup has been just what benefit the majority of the country’s people will accrue from the event, especially when the world has packed up and headed back home. National Commissioner of the Police Bheki Cele argues that policing will be markedly improved because of the extra training, equipment purchasing and other efforts undertaken for the World Cup. It would be easy to dismiss such talk as mere palaver from someone whose job it is to boost his work. But at the same time, if South Africa derives incremental improvement in policing and infrastructure and delivery of services from the event that will bring the world to South Africa during the country’s winter months, isn’t that a good thing? The World Cup does not need to transform South Africa to serve the country well. South Africa needs salve, perhaps, but it does not need salvation.
