20100622
reuters

South African President Jacob Zuma said on Tuesday he was confident the Soccer World Cup, hosted for the first time in Africa, will boost job creation and economic growth in his country.

"The event itself has created such an opportunity that our economy is not going to be of the same size after the 2010 World Cup. Certainly, therefore, GDP will grow from where it has been," Zuma said in an interview with Reuters Insider television.

"We are confident that the employment numbers will grow."

Unemployment in South Africa is officially around 25 percent but analysts say the figure could be as high as 40 percent.

The South African president said threats of strike action during the World Cup from unions were not directly targeted at the event as wage negotiations and strikes traditionally took place each year around June or July during the so-called "strike season".

"The strikes are always a matter of concern but there is nothing extraordinary because we are dealing with what we always deal with during this time," Zuma said.

Unions representing workers at power utility Eskom were in last-ditch wage talks with the group's management which may avert a potentially damaging strike during the World Cup.

A possible work stoppage at Eskom follows a series of threats of labour action to freeze transport, abandon security posts and tie up immigration at airports during the sporting event if demands for better pay and conditions are not met.