Zuma hails World Cup benefits as fans mass for semi-final

CAPE TOWN — President Jacob Zuma said Tuesday the World Cup has brought "priceless" benefits to South Africa, as fans of the Netherlands and Uruguay descended on Cape Town for their semi-final match.With Sunday's final now just days away, Zuma said the 33 billion rand (4.2 billion dollars, 3.4 billion euros) spent by the national treasury had led to lasting improvements in communications and transport.But the social impact had been even greater, he said, as black and white fans packed into stadiums and fan parks together, 16 years after the first all-race elections ended white-minority rule."The social benefits are priceless. We have seen remarkable unity, patriotism and solidarity being displayed by South Africans, which has never been witnessed before," Zuma told an investment meeting."This augurs well for the consolidation of reconciliation and friendship for this young nation. We intend to build on this achievement."After nearly four weeks of celebrating football, South Africans are bracing for the time when the spotlight shifts away."I'm heartsore because the atmosphere is indescribable," said 18-year-old Jason Brown, among the thousands of fans in Cape Town's city centre ahead of the match."Everyone's jolly and having a great time and it's nice meeting people from other countries."Until the World Cup, football was perceived as a black sport in South Africa, but the tournament has seen racially mixed stands and an outpouring of national pride.Sports authorities are expected to announce Wednesday that a rugby test match, traditionally seen as a white sport, will be held in Johannesburg's Soccer City on the outskirts of the black township of Soweto, in a move to keep the enthusiasm going. But Tuesday the focus remained on Cape Town as the city hosted its last game of the tournament at 1830 GMT.Thousands of Netherlands fans paraded toward the stadium behind an orange bus blaring Dutch tunes, with fans singing and dancing in the streets."It's really lovely to see everyone have a party," said Marcel de We

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