Rendimientos

Mega-events have the ability to impact upon the daily lives of the residents in the communities in which they are hosted. Some such impacts include increased levels of crime, overcrowding and congestion, as well as increased noise levels (Ohmann et al., 2006). Various statements in this regard were designed and put forward to the respondents in the current study. The following paragraphs in this subsection present the findings with regards to social issues that might have affected local communities in South Africa as a result of the hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, as perceived by African immigrants residing in Cape Town (see Table 4.32 on pg 132).

Hall (1998) contends that the hosting of mega sporting events has often been associated with the disruption of the daily lives of locals, and that such disruptions might come in the form of the displacement of communities‟ residential areas or businesses as a result of the construction of facilities prior to, or the displacement of traffic flow during, the event itself. Therefore, in the current study, the respondents were asked whether they thought that the hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™

would disrupt and inconvenience the lives of the local residents. The results, as can be seen in Table 4.32, were inconclusive because, despite nearly half of the

respondents (49.5%) disagreeing with the statement, and thereby refuting Hall‟s (1998) above-mentioned findings, almost as many as (38.1%) of the respondents agreed with the statement, with 12.4% choosing to remain neutral about it. The implication of the finding is that stakeholders in the 2010 event needed to consider such concerns and to design appropriate mechanisms for minimising the effects of such concerns.

In another statement that was aimed at further gauging perceptions with regards to the social impacts of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, the respondents were asked to state their positions as to whether the 2010 event would cause significant overcrowding, traffic congestion and parking difficulties. The question was posed because, as Higham (1999:86) argues, such issues are commonly associated with large-scale sporting events. That the majority of the respondents (68.8%) in the current study agreed with the statement is, therefore, not surprising. Although major infrastructural upgrades, including road construction, were being undertaken at the time of the study, such a finding might have been influenced by the traffic congestion being simultaneously experienced in Cape Town, including, in particular, the parking difficulties being encountered in the Central Business District (CBD). A similar number of responses were received from those respondents (15.8%) who assumed a neutral standing on the issue.

Increased noise levels are clearly related to such an event and to the number of people attending it. Geared towards the preparation of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, the expanded use of the „African trumpet‟ or the „vuvuzela‟ had been at the centre of a rising debate amongst stakeholders, with some of them calling for its ban from 2010 matches due to the noise level that it causes (Guselli, 2010). In addition, official FIFA Fan Parks, Municipal Fan Parks and other forms of PVAs had been planned for the duration of the event. Such facilities, although being designed to offer participation and entertainment opportunities during the event, also had the potential to increase noise levels during the event. Close to half (47.8%) of the respondents in the study agreed that the 2010 event would create excessive noise. Some respondents (30.2%), however, disagreed with the assertion, perhaps seeing such noise as forming part of the entertainment value or the „feel-good‟ effect of the event.

Fredline and Faulkner (2000) assert that noise is always considered as an individual

perception. Of the respondents, 22% could not assume a position on the statement, and therefore remained neutral on it.

Table 4.32: Disruption of daily lives by the 2010 World Cup event (n=406, in %)

Statement Level of agreement

SA A N D SD

The 2010 event will disrupt the lives of local

residents and create inconvenience. 15.8 22.3 12.4 18.8 30.7 The 2010 event will cause significant overcrowding,

traffic congestion and parking difficulties. 33.9 34.9 15.8 9.9 5.4 The 2010 event will create excessive noise. 18.8 29.0 22.0 19.8 10.4 The 2010 event will lead to an increase in crime 39.4 21.0 19.8 10.6 9.2

Barker (2004) asserts that, on an international scale, the opportunity to engage in criminal activities at sport events increases significantly. He further notes that crime tends to range from that, which is highly organised, through hooliganism, to that which is opportunistic, such as robbery and assaults. According to such researchers as Bob et al. (2006) and Tichaawa (2009), South Africa is globally recognised as a crime destination. The hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ put the country under the microscope of both the local and international media that constantly questioned its ability to combat crime and, more importantly, to provide adequate security for an event on the scale of the World Cup. Understanding the perceptions of crime at host destinations, therefore, was essential to providing pragmatic information geared towards the planning and management of the event. The findings of the current study in relation to crime indicate that the majority (60.4%) of African immigrants residing in Cape Town thought that the 2010 event would lead to an increase in crime. Such findings might have been influenced by two distinct factors: firstly, by the increased levels of media reporting on crime, and, secondly, by the respondents‟ experiences in relation to crime, especially as seen against the backdrop of the xenophobic attacks that took place across South Africa, and in Cape Town in particular, in 2008, as was previously discussed. The 19.8% that remained neutral on the statement, and the same percentage that disagreed with the statement, should not be overlooked.

As noted in Chapter Two, another potential negative effect that might arise from the hosting of mega-events is the potential increase in the price of goods and services during the event by those businesses that might want to capitalise on the increase in demand, of which the local residents might feel the effects. Table 4.33 below represents the perceptions of African immigrants residing in Cape Town in relation to the hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ and the related potential increase in prices of goods and services.

The respondents were asked to respond to the statement that the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ would lead to an increase in the price of goods and services. According to the results, a significant number of respondents (78%) agreed with the statement, showing genuine concerns in this regard. The result justifies the previous assertions made in Chapter Two of the current study, which indicated an area of concern that required further investigation by relevant stakeholders in the 2010 event. Relatively few respondents (15.8%) were neutral about the statement, compared with the 6.2%

that disagreed with it.

When the above statement was changed to reflect an increase in the overall cost of living during the event, the results largely remained the same, with 79.2% of the respondents agreeing with the statement, reflecting an increase of 1.2% over the previously obtained result. Those who were neutral on the statement made up 14.9%

of the respondents, representing a drop by 1.1% compared with the percentage that expressed neutrality about the previous statement, with the remaining 6%

disagreeing with the statement. In essence, the findings relative to costs in the current study concurred with those of Preuss (2006), who note that hosting mega-events can cause increases in the price of goods, services and property, hence providing an economic and social liability for the local communities involved.

Table 4.33: Increases in price of goods and services due to the 2010 World Cup event (n=406, in %)

Statement Level of agreement

SA A N D SD

The 2010 FIFA World Cup™ will lead to an increase

in the price of goods and services. 37.2 40.8 15.8 4.0 2.2 During the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, the overall cost of

living will increase. 46.5 32.7 14.9 3.5 2.5