Informal residents’ perceptions of the 2010 FIFA World Cup: A case study of an informal settlement in Cape Town

Abstract

South Africa won the right to host the first FIFA World Cup on the African continent in 2010. The 2010 FIFA World Cup has been heralded as a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity with significant legacy benefits for South Africans. Many mega sport event organisations tend to disregard residents’ perceptions of the events’ impacts. Generally, there is a lack of research investigating responses of residents where the event takes place, and more specifically studies on informal residents’ perceptions of mega sport events. The main focus of this study was to explore the level of awareness and perceptions of residents living in an informal settlement area in closest proximity to Cape Town Stadium regarding the impacts of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Cape Town. A systematic, stratified random sampling technique was used to survey 370 residents of at Joe Slovo, the nearest informal settlement to Cape Town Stadium, three months after the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Residents expressed their support for the event by indicating various levels of participation. They also generally had positive perceptions about the 2010 FIFA World Cup; however, mixed responses and concerns were raised in relation to the economic, social and legacy impacts of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. This study ‘paves the way’ for on-going research into residents’ perceptions of this event. Future research which focus on longitudinal impacts rather than short-term impacts are recommended.