The South African Business Times estimate the World Cup provided a 6.5 billion rand (approximately AUD$1.1 billion) ‘bonanza' to the nations economy in the opening week alone.

Touring Soweto - the infamous South Western Township of Johannesburg unfortunately better known for its crime rate and poverty than its actual infectiousness and vibrancy - you come to hope that some of this fortune flows to these fellows fast.

Armed with a sketchy camera and even sketchier photography skills, I went to explore the likes of the places and people the hosting of a World Cup in Africa should aid over the long-term.

And, while sections of Soweto are indeed confronting to any Westerner (the dwellings, of which most folk lease for 99 years from the government for 80 rand, or about $13 a month, are direct from any given World Vision advert), the place itself is full of interesting and eclectic contradictions fit for any top tourist destination.

While the exact population of the township is unknown, it is estimated between 3.5 and 5 million people sleep in Soweto each night.

I say sleep because the vast areas population is said to fluctuate daily due to illegal immigrants crossing over from countries such as Zimbabwe, Angola and Nigeria - a problem we know too well.

While a white person sticks out like a sore thumb and you've got to be aware of what's going on around you, it's more important to realise 99.9 per cent of locals are indeed very accepting of all.

Especially, this is highlighted by the children of the region - the generation that could truly change the face and reality of South Africa.

As fortune would have it, I stumbled upon an organised match of kids around 10 years of age run by a television crew from Germany.

Through donations in Deutschland, the TV station had helped kit out around 25 Sowetan youngsters.

While the gear was obviously intended for a senior side, the happiness of the children to look like a real team was truly unmistakable.

Grabbing a ball, I shared a kick about in the pre-match with some of the local children, while my camera was taken to town by a girl seemingly inspired by technology of which she'd never or rarely encountered. ‘Shoot, shoot'.

Later, the beauty of the world game revealed itself further as I watched parts of Portugal's 7-0 pounding of North Korea in the home of a local, before enjoying some of the game in a small makeshift bamboo shack.

My tour guide, 22-year-old Tebo, invited us to try an interesting local delicacy - cows head with bap - before the sight of kids enjoying a kick about on every corner further confirmed why it is our game is the only one in the world with ability to change millions of lives.

For all their detractors, FIFA's decision to hold an African world cup is to be applauded, with the legacy living long into the future of the Rainbow nation especially, far beyond the July 11 finale.