A word about the 2010 World Cup and cleaning up Johannesburg

If you haven't any interest whatsoever in soccer (football), you may still have heard that Johannesburg is the host city for the 2010 World Cup tournament. This is a big deal to South Africans, largely because of their love of the sport, but also because they are anxious to showcase their country to the world. Every time I meet a local, they ask me whether I know anything about soccer, then proudly tell me about the upcoming World Cup. I quickly learned that the easiest way to make a friend in South Africa was to mention how exciting it must be for the World Cup to be coming to Jo'burg.

The country is already abuzz with anticipation. Of course, there is much to do in the next year. Currently, there is an effort to "Clean Up Jo'Burg." A group of young people have taken it upon themselves to mobilize the community and clean up the city. Here's an article from The Times:
Big Joburg clean-up for 2010
Nkosana Lekotjolo Published:May 11, 2009

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An ambitious group of youngsters is sweeping clean the streets of Johannesburg for the 2010 soccer World Cup.




2010 Special Report


The group of about 700 young volunteers, organised by the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, has embarked on a massive clean-up campaign under the banner “New Vision for 2010.”

They want to ensure that Johannesburg, and its surrounds are spotless during the biggest sporting event to be held in this country.

The spokeswoman for the group, Nametso Mofokeng, said the volunteers were hoping that soccer lovers and tourists would be greeted by a ‘ ‘clean and fresh host city”.

‘‘Litter is a big problem in the city centre and young people are eager to make a difference,” said Mofokeng.

‘‘The city [council] is trying its best to clean up, but the problem is too big. That is why we are coming on board.”

She said the project wanted to recruit more than a thousand people, plus the homeless and hawkers.

‘‘We are also educating the community about the importance of keeping the city clean and [having] a healthy lifestyle,” said Mofokeng.

The clean-up campaign was launched on Workers’ Day, when the group cleaned up Park railway station, and the Noord and Bree street taxi ranks, where littering is a big problem.

Mofokeng said the group would ask businesses for sponsorship.

‘‘We will continue cleaning the city every month,” she vowed.

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On the other hand, it's going to take a lot more than a few extra trash pick-ups to clean up this very troubled city. Johannesburg is one of the most dangerous cities on the planet, in terms of violent crime, police corruption, and motor vehicle accident-related deaths. A few days ago, our professor warned us to keep our dorm room doors locked at all times, as a young man was robbed at gunpoint across from the dorm where the other American students are staying. I know how to keep myself safe in a crazy city (uh -- New York, Newport "Bad" News, Las Vegas), but many of my colleagues do not. Lucky for them, they have me around to look crazy enough for nobody to want to mess with us. :)

The other thing I have going for me is people always mistake me for being one of them. It has happened to me more than once that someone will sit down in front of me and attempt to strike up a conversation with me in their language. And I just smile and feel like an idiot before I inform them that I'm American. Which totally blows their minds. One guy's face lit up and he said: "You know Obama?"

Yeah, I know Obama. And lions and elephants roam freely in downtown Johannesburg.

But, back to soccer, I think it is worth mentioning that sports in South Africa were also played according to race. Rugby was for Whites; Cricket was for Coloreds; and soccer was a black man's game. That division has definitely loosened up a bit since the end of apartheid. Although cricket is still vastly Indian and Colored, white nd black South Africans have joined the game. Rugby has been greatly integrated, with several star players on the South African team being black. Most South Africans love soccer -- watching and playing. So it is truly a big deal for this country to have its home sport return home. Hopefully, soccer will be able to return to a clean home in 2010.