South Africa: An Unfit Host for the 2010 World Cup
South Africa Must Stare Down Serious Civil Rights Violations While Preparing to Host World Cup
That's how veteran reporter Bob Ley described the decision to tab the Republic of South Africa as the host nation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. To many American and European football fans, that statement may seem like a hyperbole on the surface, but once the facts are examined, Ley's remark run closer to an understatement. From June through July of 2010, the entire world will turn it's gaze towards South Africa, but when the football ends, what will they see?
By hosting the World Cup South Africa has been given an opportunity to present their country to the world in a way no African country has yet been afforded. The trepidation lies in the widespread mistreatment of women and rampant violence that lurks within its borders. The nation has had a history rife with civil atrocities dating back centuries, and the tradition of violence, notably towards women, continues to thrive today. A report from the BBC found that South African women are more likely to be raped than to learn how to read, after one in three women confirmed they had been raped in a survey of 4,000. In a recent speech, president Jacob Zuma encouraged police cadets to "shoot first" as they battle intense waves of crime. How could a nation in such disarray be granted worldwide exposure, and will they take any lasting measures toward change during their preparation for the World Cup?
It began with an plan set forth in 2004 by FIFA President Sepp Blatter, and it was one that seemed positive in precedent. Since football is a game beloved the whole world over, the World Cup should be rotated between football playing continents. It was an idea that promoted equality and would give Africa a chance to hold one of the biggest tournaments of sport in the world, whether it was ready or not. After Tunisia, Libya, Morocco and Egypt submitted bids to host the games, South Africa was chosen as the destination in 2010. The plan to rotate the tournament was scrapped in October 2007, months before its inaugural experiment had ever run its course, perhaps a troubling harbinger of what to expect next summer.
South Africa as a host to the such a global event seemed a dangerous notion in 2004, and it only looks worse as we fast approach it's start date.
In a report from the United Nations, South Africa ranked first in the world in instances of rape and child molestation. Even more troubling is the perceived indifference of the South African government. Less than 10% of all sexual assault claims will ever go to trial. One case that made trial was that of future president Jacob Zuma. He was acquitted, but not before admitting to consensual unprotected sex with a woman who he knew to be HIV Positive. He stated on trial, in a stunning display of naivety, that he took a shower after intercourse with the accuser to "cut the risk of contracting HIV". Zuma has also made several inflammatory comments towards the gay community, calling same sex marriage "a disgrace to the nation and God" , and boasting that as a young man, he would "knock out" any homosexual he met. He routinely leads his followers in a group singing of Umshini wami (Bring Me My Machine Gun).
The same study from the UN also found South Africa to rank second in the world in murder and violent crime, closely trailing Colombia. The latest figures estimate that 50 civilians are murdered in South Africa every day. Many middle class citizens live in gated communities for their own safety, consisting of blockade fencing around their neighborhoods, with only a few entry points under heavy surveillance. Zuma blindly estimated that every citizen owns a firearm.
The government has kept busy by evicting its poor and homeless from key hot spots in an attempt to "beautify the city" before it's turn in the spotlight. 20,000 Cape Town residents have been notified of eviction and displacement to a poverty stricken township on the outskirts of the city. Numerous events have been staged in protest of the public funds being diverted away from social issues in order to build stadiums and upgrade airports for tourists.
It is unconscionable to think that Blatter and his staff could view statistics like the ones laid above and proceed with holding his crown jewel alongside such atrocities. In the face of increasing opposition to their choice of host nation, Blatter has had to continually deny reports that FIFA was pulling the World Cup from South Africa. Sounding petulant and stubborn, Blatter has decided to move forward with the event as we now cross the point of no return. "Plan A... Plan B... Plan C is that the 2010 World Cup will be staged in South Africa"" he told reporters that had suggested there were plans to move the event.
In addition to the blatant safety risks for the players, media and tourists that will be flocking on the country, the precedent that is being set with this event bodes poorly for the future of South Africa. To reward a government that has turned a blind eye towards women's rights and children's safety, with millions of dollars in tourism revenue to support a state which has made few moves to change policy or provided protection to its people, is a cause for outrage among human rights supporters the world over. Hopefully, as the world turns its spotlight on South Africa, it will shed light on the heinous civil rights violations lurking withing the countries borders. With over a billion people watching intently, the country will likely operate in disarray. According the statistics, in the time it takes to hold the World Cup in South Africa, nearly 5,000 women will be raped and 1,500 civilians murdered within it's borders. After the games are over and the spotlight is diverted, it is probable that the majority of these citizens will once again be left in the dark.
Published by William Cruickshank
Boston based freelancer with a focus on music and social issues. I've been featured in BostonNOW and Crawdaddy! Magazine View profile
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17 Comments
Post a Commentnow you know what is like to be black
"Post World Cup", thanks for reading, and thanks for your comments!
If I were ever to eat my words on a column, I am thrilled that it would have to be this one. South Africa should be given the highest marks for their handling of the 2010 World Cup.
However, much like your opinion of this column, I believe your response is short sighted and a bit misinformed. Due to the nature of the subject, I actively tried to make this piece driven by fact, and fair to all parties. Judging by your comments, I did not do a good enough job conveying those traits, and for that I wholly apologize. For one thing, I certainly regret the title of this article, which was accusatory and emphatically negative, however, I stand by every word of the body of work that followed, which I believe to be well researched and well represented.
Thankfully there were no negative incidents during the games, but work still needs to be done to ensure a better future for Africa. It is a widely known fact that eve
Will I hope you print out this article so you can literally eat your own words. The horror story you predicted never materialised... Having experienced the games first hand, the "disarray" that you blurted about was utter tripe.
And if our human rights abuses are so atrocious then I don't think a myopic columnist such as yourself is a fair yardstick. Lets leave that up to Amnesty International and the people who actually know what they're talking about.
I don't know what country you live in, but I imagine you have some pressing issues at home so why not focus on those instead of deflecting the drama onto a country that is trying its hardest to overcome a very troubled past.
You're nonsense opinions only add to the issues so instead of being the champion of social justice that you seem to think you are, you're actually nothing more than an misinformed chump with a lacklustre media outlet.
What you say here needs to be said, but I hope that the World Cup will bring positive changes to South Africa. I agree with Phil about Zimbabwe, and hope that South Africa can be guided away from that direction. It seems that economic success is one path towards improvement. It is several years since I spent many months in South Africa, and things do change, but I was impressed with the attitude of many of the people we met and hopeful they would get their country together. The current President is obviously not a step in that direction, and they have a long way to go. Meanwhile, let's enjoy the football!
Having the 2010 World Cup in South Africa is a bold move. It'll be interesting to see how everything pans out. I know one thing for certain though, I'm ready for some more World Cup action after a 4 year hiatus.
). In New Jersey public schools, a total of 17,666 violent incidents were reported in 2007-2008 (Annual Report on Violence, Vandalism and Substance Abuse in New Jersey Public Schools by New Jersey Department of Education, October 2009, http://www.state.nj.us). In the City University of New York, a total of 107 major crimes occurred in five of its campuses during 2006 and 2007(The New York Post, September 22, 2009).
I apologize for the multi-comments, but they don't seem to fit in one box. My comment begins at the bottom and moves on up to this last one. thank you.
Campuses became an area worst hit by violent crimes as shootings spread there and kept escalating. The U.S. Heritage Foundation reported that 11.3 percent of high school students in Washington D.C. reported being "threatened or injured" with a weapon while on school property during the 2007-2008 school year. In the same period, police responded to more than 900 calls to 911 reporting violent incidents at the addresses of Washington D.C. public schools (A Report of The Heritage Center for Data Analysis, School Safety in Washington, D.C.: New Data for the 2007-2008 School Year, http://www.heritage.org).
). In New York City, 461 murders were reported in 2009, and the crime rate was 1,151 cases per 100,000 people. San Antonio in Texas was deemed as the most dangerous among 25 U.S. large cities with 2,538 crimes recorded per 100,000 people (The China Press, December 30, 2009). The murder rate rose 5.5 percent in towns with a population of 10,000 or fewer in 2008 (http://www.usatoday.com, June 1, 2009). Most of the United States' 15,000 annual murders occur in cities where they are concentrated in poorer neighborhoods (http://www.reuters.com, October 7, 2009).
I. On Life, Property and Personal Security
Widespread violent crimes in the United States posed threats to the lives, properties and personal security of its people.
In 2008, U.S. residents experienced 4.9 million violent crimes, 16.3 million property crimes and 137,000 personal thefts, and the violent crime rate was 19.3 victimizations per 1,000 persons aged 12 or over, according to a report published by the U.S. Department of Justice in September 2009 (Criminal Victimization 2008, U.S. Department of Justice, http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov). In 2008, over 14 million arrests occurred for all offenses (except traffic violations) in the country, and the arrest rate for violent crime was 198.2 per 100,000 inhabitants (Crime in the United States, 2008, http://www.fbi.gov). In 2009, a total of 35 domestic homicides occurred in Philadelphia, a 67 percent increase from 2008 (The New York Times, December 30, 2009). In New York City, 461 murders were reported in 2009, and the crime rate was 1,1
Full Text of Human Rights Record of the United States in 2009
The State Department of the United States released its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2009 on March 11, 2010, posing as "the world judge of human rights" again. As in previous years, the reports are full of accusations of the human rights situation in more than 190 countries and regions including China, but turn a blind eye to, or dodge and even cover up rampant human rights abuses on its own territory. The Human Rights Record of the United States in 2009 is prepared to help people around the world understand the real situation of human rights in the United States.