Did anybody else notice President Jacob Zuma’s passive demeanour during and after the final match of the World Cup last Sunday? He looked out of sorts and a tad uncomfortable, especially when standing next to Fifa president Sepp Blatter.
My suspicions about who calls the shots (at least during the World Cup) in their relationship were confirmed when, after the match, Blatter dragged Zuma by the hand — the way you would drag a child or a subordinate — to present the cup to Spain.
I mean no disrespect to the president, but it was a creepy display of how Fifa had drawn the dots from day one and our job as a country was to connect them and colour in the picture. And, as a teacher grades his pupils, Blatter gave us nine out of 10 for our efforts at hosting the World Cup.
We hosted a spectacular event and deserve to be praised but what I dislike is the fact that we are so surprised that we pulled it off.
This smacks of a society that does not have much in the way of self-esteem.
In the end we hosted the Cup more to prove to the world that we can do it rather than for the general amelioration of our society.
That said, we do have shiny ball parks, better roads and the event may have changed the lives of a few people for the better.
But now what, South Africa? Are we — ourselves — going to apply the same vigour and determination we showed in staging the Cup to servicing those who could do with the same commitment?
It was really nice to see cops, stomachs in and chests out, doing their jobs really well throughout the proceedings. But I really wonder if they are going to have the same gumption when called upon to combat crime against the civilians who pay their salaries. And will they rally to defend migrants, asylum seekers and other paperless people when there is a threat of xenophobia?
We shouldn’t, of course, leave that task to the police alone. We are all responsible for making sure that nobody is discriminated against because of their colour, origins or wealth.
Instead of resting and patting ourselves on the back, the true test of the success of the World Cup will be whether we can show ourselves the same respect that we showed European and American tourists.
I hope the white elephants that marched across the field at the closing ceremony are not an omen of the fate of the stadiums in places like Nelspruit, Polokwane and Rustenburg. I hope Zuma and his government will exercise control and leadership in assisting the millions of people whose needs were outshone by the Soccer City and Greenpoint stadiums.
And, finally, as much as this has been one of the greatest moments for our country, I hope we will realise that service to and respect for our own people should rank far higher than fun and games on our list of national priorities.