The World Cup is taking two more days of rest after the semis were decided with Germany smacking around Argentina (obviously I did not see that one coming) and Spain struggling to take down Paraguay (I did foresee that, but given that I was one for four in predicting these quarterfinals games, too much congratulations are probably not in order).
Meanwhile I have flown from Gabarone back to Durban via Joburg. I have a few days before I have to head to the University of Pretoria to give my paper at a special session of the Historical Association of South Africa’s biennial meeting, and so I could freeze on the highveld or chill on the beach for another few days before bundling up in Gauteng. I chose beachfront.
With the off days and the far fewer games, the news in South Africa is moving (slightly) away from All-World-Cup-All-The-Time, though the tournament is now backdrop to everything, rather than in and of itself being everything. The Cup narrative itself has taken on a pretty self-congratulatory tone: — We Did It! Best Cup Ever! — That sort of thing. And I suppose it is earned. But in a theme I will explore in much greater depth down the road and especially upon my return from South Africa, expect to see another word used quite frequently: Hangover.
I suspect that the hangover from this World Cup will be almost existential. We did it, we succeeded, and after all of the years of planning and preparation, after the month of hosting, Now What?
Even if everything is different now, really, everything will be the same. Much good came and will come from this event (again: much more on this down the road) but in terms of the day-to-day lives of virtually all South Africans status quo ante will prevail. Poverty and unemployment will be real problems. Corruption among politicians and other public servants will not have disappeared. Crime might improve in the aggregate but there will still be crime.
The World up did a great many things for South Africa, but it was no panacea. There is no magic bullet. Life will go on, much like before. This was always going to be the case, but now July 12, The Day After, is less a shimmering mirage on the horizon and is a reality coming into focus. A week from today the world that has not already left will be going home. June 11 was the date South Africans planned for. July 12 is the one I hope they have prepared themselves for.
