JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's image may have changed after it successfully hosted the World Cup but the billions spent on the event had little impact on improving the life of poor South Africans.
Analysts said the real benefits of the World Cup -- hosted in Africa for the first time -- will only be seen in years to come.
The government hopes that the nearly 40 billion rand spent on infrastructure and new stadia would be offset by the arrival of thousands more tourists as South Africa is rebranded by the event.
But many poor South Africans saw no benefit from the event, which is expected to add 0.4 percentage points to GDP growth this year and bring in around 370,000 or less foreign visitors.
