Pandemic has knocked wind out of city sails
THE months of June and July normally herald the winter school holidays and it is a time when the circus comes to town.
It is also a time when Durban is abuzz with two mega events in the form of Africa’s richest horse race, the Vodacom Durban July (VDJ), and the Comrades Marathon.
There is an electric pulse that throbs through Durban as the excitement for these events reaches fever pitch.
Add to that the arrival of the greatest shoal on earth and Durban is certainly the place to be. But not this year!
The novel coronavirus beat the sardines in arriving on our shores. Now the Comrades Marathon has been cancelled and the VDJ will be run at the Greyville Racecourse – without spectators.
Some of our children will go back to school when they should be on a winter break. The atmosphere will never be the same.
Who can blame us from wallowing in a pervasive sense that the best times have come and gone.
I watched a Bayern Munich football match recently. It was played in an empty stadium. The game seemed less of a contest and more of an act of just passing the ball around.
A matador can find no glory when the bull refuses to lunge for the red muleta, because there is no cheering crowd to spur him on. The same applies to other sporting codes.
The hospitality industry in South Africa is in trouble because of this pandemic. From a turbulent national airline to a bankrupt rail system and half-full mini-bus taxis, our transport systems are in a shambles. It is also worrying times for resorts, hotels and casinos.
The VDJ, that normally generates millions for the local economy, is the latest victim. The event is a must for socialites.
To run the event in an empty racecourse is, of course, unimaginable.
So how will the betting work for the big day?
As with the norm of technology, everything will be online. All you need is a bank account and a smartphone, and the transactions will flow each way.
It will, however, be a sad day for fashion designers as models cannot showcase their garb.
There will be no bookie’s rooms or punter’s betting houses (Tab) open for gamblers. However, they can sit at home with their favourite tipple and sardine bites, and watch the race on television. Many will feel incongruous but this is the reality of the situation.
Hollywood cinema is also suffering globally, with big losses to Bollywood cinema in India and South Africa.
It also brought back melancholic memories of earlier days, when we had drive-in movie entertainment.
There is a domino effect to a plethora of ancillary markets and service providers with these non-events.
The logistics list is never-ending but it must include the media, hospitality (food, drink, accommodation and travel), event planners, transport, security services, etc.
Even bigger losses are suffered by the sponsors. But the biggest losers are the city’s people, who are the pulse of these events.
KEVIN GOVENDER
Shallcross