RPT-FEATURE-Soccer-South Africans dream of World Cup bonanza

Thu Nov 12, 2009 12:02pm GMT
 
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By Barry Moody

JOHANNESBURG, Nov 12 (Reuters) - From the opulent millionaires' row on Cape Town's beachfront to the modest homes of Soweto township, South Africans are dreaming of a bonanza of cash from next year's World Cup.

Some are preparing to move out of their homes in the hope of renting them to well-heeled visitors for a one-month flood of foreign cash.

Prices for some private apartments in Johannesburg and elsewhere have rocketed recently to three, four and even six times normal, even before most fans have decided where to stay.

In Cape Town's "golden mile" along the beach, some owners of luxurious mansions overlooking the sea and Table Mountain were looking for rents of 90,000 rand ($12,100) or more per day, said Samuel Seeff, one of South Africa's top estate agents.

Such homes, offered to big corporations and in particular World Cup sponsors, would house five or more executives and provide swimming pools, jacuzzis, home theatres and decks from which to admire the stunning views, he said.

The spectacular houses are also protected from South Africa's frighteningly violent criminals with state-of-the-art security measures that are routine among the wealthy here.

At the opposite end of the scale, owners who converted their houses into bed and breakfasts in the historic centre of Soweto township are also expecting plenty of World Cup tourists next June and July, but plan to charge as little as 350 rand ($47) per night, with none of the huge price hikes seen elsewhere.   Continued...

 

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