PtG Article 02.07.2010

Have the local traders missed out on the World Cup boom?

In a series of articles, CNN reports on social initiatives that are undertaken in South Africa during the World Cup.

In this article, CNN puts focus on whether South Africa’s local traders will benefit from the 2010 World Cup.

A question that has often been posed during this year’s world cup is whether South Africa will actually benefit from hosting the tournament. Sepp Blatter has stated that he is sure that the tournament will leave a legacy in the host country, but nearing the end of the tournament opinions are still divided about whether it will provide South Africa with any kind of economic boost.It has often been reported that local traders usually working near the stadia have been removed by FIFA, who has set up exclusion zone around the stadia in order to secure the rights of their sponsors. Streetnet international estimates that more than 100,000 South African street traders could have lost their income during the tournament. FIFA told the CNN that it has been working with the South African government to integrate the informal sector into the operational areas of the World Cup.So have the local traders missed out?Both yes and no, CNN investigators found out