Shattered 2010 dreams
2010-06-04 09:46
Felix Masi/Africa Media Online
A few years ago, South African vendors and entrepreneurs welcomed
the announcement that the Fifa World Cup would be hosted by their home country.
Many saw it as a chance to capitalise on the influx of tourists to the region
and an opportunity to improve their standards of living.
One woman, Linda Nomathemba, started to dream that she might one
day be able to afford a house for herself and her five children.
She set up a kiosk in 2006 on the grounds of the Soccer City
Stadium in Johannesburg. Within months, she had sparked a bustling trade of
home-cooked food to passers-by.
Linda had set her sights on a 2010 stadium filled with hungry
soccer fans. She watched as the South African Football Association house was
built and the stadium took shape over the years.
With no canteen at the stadium, she had lunchtime queues at her
kiosk, but this was nothing compared with the queues she had imagined during
2010 football matches.
With only four months to kickoff, Linda and her fellow vendors were
served eviction papers and given notice to vacate the area.