“Many people have been made to believe that they should spend all their life-savings and pension money to build B&Bs in the view of making maximum benefits from the world cup. What happens after the world cup has gone?” Mamaila said.
“The media must do its best to spread a message to help people to do away with that all sorts of dangerous expectations about the world cup. Failure to do that will create 2010-phobes and we all know what our people are capable of when they are angry,” Mamaila said.
Furthermore, he blamed local media for repeating and swallowing what the prophets of doom [foreign media] continue to say about the country's readiness to host the world cup. “Let's look at the schedule of the Local Organising Committee and from there we will understand, make our own assessments and spread the message whether the country will be ready or not,” he said.
“Those who base their criticism around the 2010 experience believe that it will strengthen the prophets of doom but their picture is false. And those who are in denial that SA will host a successful World Cup also believe that a person with fat lips and dark skin is not capable of delivering something good in his lifetime,” he added.
He advised the media to avoid ‘ping-pong reporting', ‘ultra-optimism' and ultra-pessimism' and instead focus on practicing good journalism, meaning to expose the good and the bad in an objective manner and not only the bad in a subjective manner.”
Mamaila challenged the media to hold those who are in power accountable, defend the weak against the powerful and, most of all, remain the voice of the voiceless and lastly ensure that the poor gets justice and adequate services regardless of 2010.
Meanwhile, LOC chairman Irvin Khoza told delegates that the central purpose of any communication strategy is to manage popular perceptions. “We must get it right,” Dr Khoza said. “It is absolutely crucial that our message is clear and concise, and our means of communicating that message must be structured, bold and innovative.”
