JOHANNESBURG - By hosting the World Cup this month, South Africa is set to defy Africa's image as too poor and trouble-ridden to stage one of the world's great spectacles. With its pursuit of research into the farthest reaches of the universe - deep space - South Africa hopes to provide further proof that Africans can compete at all levels. South Africa is investing heavily to join the world's leaders in space research. The government is investing in "micro" satellites, building on its existing SumbandilaSat platform.