Cape Town ‘still benefiting from Fifa World Cup’

A number of “lasting memories” were created by the event, the city’s mayor has said.

Tourists who jet off on cheap flights to Cape Town will notice the benefits the city has gained from hosting matches during the 2010 Fifa World Cup, according to mayor Patricia de Lille.

Speaking at the launch of a report on the legacy of the tournament, Ms de Lille insisted the effects are still being felt by Cape Town and South Africa as a whole.

As well as creating “lasting memories” for everyone who watched the action, the event offered a large number of more tangible positives, she claimed.

“The World Cup reminded us of what made us great,” she remarked. “It showed that when you strip everything else away, we are a people who are diverse … but with much in common.”

Cape Town was chosen to host eight matches throughout the tournament including the semi-final between Uruguay and the Netherlands, which the European heavyweights won 3-2 courtesy of goals from Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben.

Written by Anthony Nicholson