One challenge that the soccer World Cup exposed is the need for electricity inter-connector projects such as the ones in the Southern Africa Power Pool (SAPP). If the generation capacity in the SADC region had been increased long before the World Cup, South Africa's neighbours would have supplied it with excess electricity.
Countries with higher generation capacity like Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) would have supplied deficient ones like Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa itself even if it is Africa's major producer. A research recently conducted has shown that some soccer fans missed some World Cup matches due to load shedding, particularly in Zambia and Zimbabwe. As a result of the football event, there was increased demand for electricity on television sets, satellite dishes as well as air conditioning/lighting/heating in the rooms in which the matches were being watched. Apart from that, there was requirement for electricity at stadiums for visibility and security at the hotels where the players, coaches and match officials had been lodging in South Africa.
