A multitude of hands press a large red button at the Albert Luthuli International Conference Centre in Durban, a month ahead of the 2010 World Cup.

They belong to South African President Jacob Zuma, Fifa Secretary General Jerome Valcke, local organising committee leader Danny Jordaan, and officials of South African tourism, including Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk.

It’s a momentous occasion as it gives the seal of approval to the 2010 World Cup to begin.

“This tournament will forever change the world’s perception of South Africa. It is in our hands to make this the best World Cup ever,” said President Zuma at the official opening of Indaba 2010, the world’s third most important travel trade show.

A few minutes earlier, we had seen clips of the president and people across the globe dancing the famous Diski, a South African football dance specially choreographed for the 2010 World Cup.

It’s part of the World Cup football scene — as is Zakumi the mascot and the vuvuzela trumpet, a spin off from the days of blowing kudu horns.

Two year ago, at the first media face-off organised by Fifa in Durban during an Indaba event, the Albert Luthuli Centre was abuzz with speculation: Would South Africa be ready for the World Cup in 2010?

It seemed unlikely. For one, the stadiums were incomplete. Driving past the site of Moses Mabhida Stadium earlier, we saw what seemed like a huge mess of rubble and concrete, nowhere near ready to host a world soccer match, let alone seat 70,000 fans.

Would South Africa be ready to host the premier soccer event in just two years? It seemed improbable. More than 250 journalists from around the world sat inside the centre’s media room facing the organising committee.

We held digital audience response gadgets to press the Yes, No, or Maybe buttons for instant counting. Almost 30 per cent were not sure about South Africa’s readiness to host the tourney.

There were, at the time, reports of a Plan B — that the games be relocated to Europe if things did not work out as planned.

Two years later, more than 400 journalists are again facing the Fifa organising committee — this time at the newly completed Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

The stadium will make its World Cup debut when Germany meets Australia in a Group D clash in less than a month.

The previous day we had taken the sky-car to the top of the stadium, which is 106 metres high.

Wherever you are in the seaside city, you can see the stadium. It is as iconic as the London Eye on Thames River.

Besides presenting a 360-degree view of a world-class city, the stadium offers one a chance to swing across it, or to climb its 550 steps to the summit, besides watching the games.

Football fans in Durban,KwaZulu-Natal Province, which boasts two World Heritage Sites — the Drakensberg Mountains and St Lucia’s Wetlands — will be able to watch live screenings of each of the 64 matches on mega-screens against the backdrop of the Indian Ocean.

This will be at the Durban Fifa Fan Fest on the New Beach located on the famous Golden Mile.

There will also be live entertainment, food and drink stalls. The concept of fan parks is not limited to Durban — they will be there in all the provinces where the World Cup is being played.

Danny Jordaan is a familiar face in the football festival. With him on the panel are Jerome Valke, Thandiwe January-Mclean and the head of the Airports Company of South Africa, Monhla Hlahla.

The moderators are South African journalist John Perlman and BBC World Africa Business Report anchor Komla Dumor.
The stadiums are built to Olympic specifications for multi-use games and events.

They can host global sporting events, cultural functions, Olympic Games and music concerts.

“The World Cup has changed the face of this country. It has revitalised our economy and given impetus to infrastructural development and job creation,” said President Zuma.

The investments South Africa has made around the tournament are multifaceted.

Besides creating an opportunity for an additional 3.6 million jobs during the games, $10.9 billion have been spent on changing the road infrastructure and the taxi programme.

The highways connecting the cities and the bus rapid transport system would fill an East African with envy.

Not only are the roads smooth but special lanes ensure that public buses operate on time, even during peak traffic hour.

We leave Durban’s new $1 billion King Shaka Airport — it sits amid green fields of sugar-cane on 19,500 square metres, which can be expanded in future.

It has a capacity of four million passengers a year and is about 20km from the city.

We cruise in the bus lane and reach the hotel in half an hour.

I wonder if the Minister for Roads sought audience with the former mayor of Bogota, Enrique Penalosa, who transformed his city from a traffic heavy city one to one free of traffic jams — thanks to heavy investment in public bus rapid transport system (BRT).

By 2020, more than 85 per cent of the population of any South African city will be living within a kilometre of an integrated rapid transport network feeder or corridor.

Already, the bus rapid transport system between Johannesburg and Soweto transports 20,000 people a day.

Besides the glamour of hosting the games, there are important lessons for developing economies.

These will come in handy when Brazil, another developing country, hosts the 2014 World Cup.

Selling tickets over the Internet was not very wise, especially since most South Africans can’t access the technology used.

The hitch was resolved by having counter sales in supermarkets and other venues for fans to buy tickets and fill at least 95 per cent of the stadiums.

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