Beyond the rhetoric: Chinotimba residents’ perceptions of the legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup

Abstract

This study sought to unravel the perceptions of Chinotimba residents surrounding the tangible and intangible legacy of the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup. This mega-event, although hosted by South Africa, was framed as a continental event that would unleash considerable spin-offs, particularly for the neighbouring countries in the Southern African Development Community region. In line with this dominant representation of the event, hereinafter, rhetoric, the Zimbabwean government announced a raft of measures that were aimed at leveraging maximum benefits from the mega-event for the nation at large. Using interpretive methods, this study engaged thirty willing residents of Chinotimba high density suburb in semi-structured interviews to better understand the legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In addition, the perceptions of Chinotimba residents were compared with the rhetoric that was produced by the country’s ruling elite and representatives of private tourism businesses. Field evidence suggested that Chinotimba residents could not identify any major tangible or intangible benefits of the World Cup. The majority could only speculate that tourism operators were the major beneficiaries. In stating this, the residents expressed misgivings with regard to the disjuncture between the rhetoric and their livelihoods, which largely remained untouched by the mega-event. A key conclusion of this study is that mega-events are not apolitical processes; rather mega-events are capable of producing both empowerment and disempowerment among local non-host communities. Besides calling for ‘coal-face’ perspectives of mega-events, this paper urges for research that acknowledges the politicised nature of mega-events.