The World Cup has brought Port Elizabeth a stunning new landmark in its oceanside stadium, but questions remain about who will fill the stands once the global football fans leave.

"In the South African case, all the stadiams were either renovated or constructed by the government. That means that the commercial consideration was never primary," said economist Stan du Plessis of Stellenbosch University.

"Some of these stadiums are simply not going to be in a position to cover their running costs. In that sense, they will be loss making."

South Africa has poured R20-billion, multiples of the original estimates, into 10 stadiums in nine cities to showcase Africa's first World Cup.

White elephant fears often dog major sporting events with Athens 2004 Olympics facilities said to be rusting away amid early rumbles about London 2012.

In South Africa's smaller towns like Nelspruit and Polokwane, and distant cities like Port Elizabeth, local officials are already wondering how to keep their new world-class stadiums running.

Port Elizabeth's two-billion-rand, 46 000-seater hopes to lure a top football or rugby team to offset its annual R18-million running costs.

"I don't think you can ever get the money back on the stadium," Stephan Pretorius, chief executive of the stadium's private management firm told AFP.

"The stadium is built really for the community. The idea would be that we make the stadium as successful as possible. People here are very hungry for sport and they are very hungry for events and concerts."

The building boom shielded South Africa from the global recession, and the tournament is expected to boost the economy by 0.5 percent this year.

But concerns about the stadiums themselves extend even to Cape Town, the priciest pitch at R4.5-billion, in FIFA's preferred location on prime property amid premier tourist sites.

A developing country like South Africa did not need new mega-stadiums, argues Andrew Jennings, author of "Foul! The Secret World of FIFA: Bribes, Vote-Rigging and Ticket Scandals".

"Who is going to pay the bill? South Africa," he told AFP. "It is a saga of greed from FIFA, they don't care about South Africa."

"There has been a shameless exploitation of South Africans. They have been left with white elephants, it is now for taxpayers to pay the bill."

For Germany's 2006 World Cup, clubs oversaw much of the construction, but only three 2010 stadiums have home teams to help ensure future success.

Durban city manager Mike Sutcliffe has called for an urgent post-tournament look at sustainability, saying all host cities face "huge funding issues".

"If I'm battling in a big city, I'd hate to know what my colleagues are doing in Polokwane and Mbombela (Nelspruit)," he recently told lawmakers.

Polokwane in undeveloped northern Limpopo - host to a R1.3-billion stadium with annual bills of up to R17-million - has already turned to the treasury for more cash.

"At the moment we'll need that type of funding to let our programmes run through effectively. We need it now. Unfortunately we can't wait until the end of the World Cup," the city's 2010 director Ndavhe Ramakuelue told AFP.

Both Polokwane and Port Elizabeth have shrugged off white elephant labels.

But according to Du Plessis, only Durban and Johannesburg's Soccer City have promising chances. Though he stops short at dishing out white-elephant labels.

"These stadiums are actually built for something very specific. They will host a great World Cup. So in that respect they are not a white elephant," he told AFP.

But "a number of them will simply not be viable in the long run."

ON THE HORIZON:

May 24: Stats SA releases April liquidations and insolvencies.
May 24: Pioneer Food group releases interim results (approx date).
May 24: Vukile releases annual results.
May 24: Simmer & Jack holds AGM.
May 24: ABIL releases interim results.
May 24: National Empowerment Fund BB-BEE seminar.
May 25: Weekly government bond auction.
May 25: Stats SA releases Q1 2010 GDP.
May 26: Rio Tinto holds AGM.
May 26: Freeworld Coatings releases interim results.
May 26: Trematon releases annual results.
May 26: Medi-Clinic releases annual results.
May 27: Stats SA releases April CPI.
May 27: Foschini releases annual results.
May 27: Mercantile Bank holds AGM.
May 27: Richemont releases annual results.
May 28: Stats SA releases April PPI.
May 28: Weekly treasury bill auction.
May 28: Tongaat Hulett releases 15-month results.

FURTHER AHEAD:

May 31: Customs & Excise releases April trade data.
May 31: SARB releases April M3 and PSCE data.
May 31: Treasury releases statement of national revenue, expenditure and borrowing for April.
May 31: Cadiz Holdings releases annual results.
May 31: Protech Khutele releases annual results.
May 31: Huge Group releases annual results.
May 31: Seardel releases annual results.
May 31: African Brick releases final results.
June 1: Weekly government bond auction.
June 1: Standard bank releases May residential property gauge.
June 1: Kagiso releases May PMI.
June 1: Wildneress Safaris releases annual results.
June 2: NAAMSA releases May new vehicle sales.
June 2: Treasury releases May provisional financing figures.
June 2: Santam holds AGM.
June 2: Winhold releases interim results.
June 3: Stats SA releases April electricity stats.
June 3: BJM releases annual results.
June 4: Weekly treasury bill auction.
June 7: SARB releases May gold and forex reserves.
June 7: Gold Reef Resorts holds AGM.
June 8: Weekly government bond auction.
June 8: RMB/BER release Q2 BCI.
June 9: Omnia releases annual results.
June 10: Stats SA releases April manufacturing production data.
June 10: Stats SA releases April mining production data.
June 10: Transnet release annual results.
June 11: Weekly treasury bill auction.
June 14: FNB/BER release Q2 CCI.
June 15: Weekly government bond auction.
June 15: Stats SA releases April Building stats.
June 16: Markets closed for Youth Day holiday.
June 17: Stats SA releases April retails sales data.
June 17: Stats SA releases April civil cases for debt stats.
June 17: Simmer & Jack Mines releases Q4 results.
June 18: Weekly treasury bill auction.
June 22: Weekly government bond auction.
June 22: Telkom releases annual results.
June 22: Stats SA releases Q1 quarterly employment stats.
June 22: BER releases Q2 inflation expectations survey.
June 23: Stats SA releases May CPI.
June 24: Stats SA releases May PPI.
June 24: SARB releases Q1 quarterly bulletin.
June 24: Crop Estimates Committee releases Summer: fifth production forecast.
June 25: Weekly treasury bill auction.
June 28: Stats SA releases May liquidations and insolvencies.
June 29: Weekly government bond auction.
June 29: Naspers releases annual results.
June 30: SARB releases May M3 and PSCE data.
June 30: Customs & Excise releases May trade data.
June 30: Treasury releases May statement of revenue, expenditure and borrowing.