Leaving tourists marooned

The Confed Cup is well under way and all seems to be well. But the stadiums are perennially empty. For a second I felt a bit of pity. But I quickly remembered that the stadiums are empty because of a deliberate plan by the organisers of this all-important event.

The whole event is elitist -- from the pricing of the tickets to the process of obtaining them, one can tell that the average South African was not in the minds of the organisers. Never mind the fact that mainstream soccer fanatics are generally drawn from the lower end.

Get to the stadium and you will realize what I am talking about; for every single thing you want to buy, you need a Visa card. Forget the ordinary debit card, it does n0t work. How then are we to expect to attract crowds to the stadium? How? This will clearly be a disappointment to our visitors who have come all the way on the strength of a promise that South Africa is ready and waiting for them, to rejoice, to celebrate together. This is further complicated by the fact that Ellis Park was full when Bafana was playing. What are we saying to the tourists?

We also seem to forget that as much as the country's economy needs the bounty that will come out of the tourism brought about by this Fifa shindig, we still need to watch our prices. Food practically costs an arm and a leg at the stadiums. Prices shooting out of the roof will surely drive tourists away and, needless to say, it is difficult to get rid of a bad impression. Besides the sight of visibly empty seats on the ground is gross.