:: South Africa 2010

News

Mpuma community to benefit from 2010 venture

22 July - The construction of the Mbombela Stadium in Mpumalanga is taking place on 118 hectares of land which has recently been restored to the Matsafeni community.

World Cup's green legacy for Joburg

22 July - More trees, clean rivers and green playing fields are some of the long-lasting benefits from the 2010 Fifa World Cup™ that Joburg’s residents will enjoy.

See you in 2010 Madiba: Fifa

21 July - Fifa President Sepp Blatter has promised to see former South African President Nelson Mandela at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa™.

Eskom engages municipalities for 2010

18 July - An Eskom project team is working with the metro and municipal electricity departments to ensure the reliability of electricity supply to the stadiums, broadcasting centres, base camps and venues for the 2010 Fifa World Cup™, the power utility said in its annual report released on Thursday.

Nelson Mandela - SA's 2010 envoy

18 July - "The world cup will help unify people, if there is one thing in this planet that has the power to bind people together it is soccer."

Gauteng ahead of schedule for 2010

17 July - Gauteng is ahead of schedule with the construction of all host stadia ahead of the 2010 Fifa World Cup™.

Port Elizabeth to hold 2010 security exercise

16 July - The army, navy, police and airforce are set to descend on Port Elizabeth later in July to conduct a training exercise ahead of the 2010 World Cup, police said on Wednesday.

Durban's Moses Mabhida to be a year-round event

15 July - Durban has planned ahead to ensure that it's R2.6-billion Moses Mabhida Stadium is not only a single code sporting facility, but a sustainable, multi-function events theatre promising to attract people 365 days a year.

Volunteering open to all SA residents

15 July - The Local Organising Committee (LOC) says volunteering for the 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup™ is open to everyone who is a legal resident of South Africa.

World Cup readiness test for Mpumalanga

11 July -The Cosafa Senior Challenge Cup, which will see countries from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) battling it out, will also be a test for Mpumalanga’s preparations towards hosting the 2010 Fifa World™ Cup matches.

2010 final venue wows Fifa

11 July - Fifa Secretary General Jerome Valcke says he was very impressed with his first visit to the iconic Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

700 days left to 2010 Fifa World Cup in SA

10 July - With 700 days left to the kickoff of the 2010 Fifa World Cup™ to be hosted in Africa for the first time, South Africa has made considerable strides to ensure that the World Cup will be a resounding success.

South Africans heed call for volunteers

10 July - The Local Organising Committee (LOC) have reported a resounding response to their call for South Africans to volunteer during the 2009 Confederations Cup™ to be held in South Africa.

Aims

South Africa has pledged that the first FIFA World Cup™ held on African soil will be the best tournament ever staged. Delivering a successful event is where it all starts - but the Government has even higher aims for 2010, which is an historic opportunity for the country and the continent.

What Government aims for in having South Africa host the 2010 World Cup - and the reason that it is funding the infrastructure development the event demands - coincides with its priorities of economic growth and development. Aside from that, hosting the event will leave a lasting legacy, not just for this country but for Africa too.

Great hosts
Growth
Legacy
Development

Great hosts

As President Thabo Mbeki has said: "The Government will leave no stone unturned to ensure that everything is done to host a tournament that meets the expectations of billions of football fans across the world.

"Together we will ensure the resounding success of the first Fifa African World Cup."

This country has a lot to offer the world in 2010. There's the legendary scenery, culture and wildlife, of course - but it is South Africa's colourful, warm and wonderful people that will distinguish this World Cup from past tournaments in other countries. And South Africans have promised to give visitors a welcome they never will forget: in fact, 2010 will be the biggest national party since the end of apartheid in 1994. The fun will include an African arts and culture festival, with fan parks and other public viewing areas to bring the action to thousands more spectators.

South Africa's leaders, the football fraternity, business and the entire population are determined to treat each and every fan to an unforgettable experience.

Growth

The hosting of the 2010 World Cup will be a catalyst for faster economic growth and the achievement of development goals.

South Africa has already met some of the Millennium Development Goals for 2014 set by the United Nations in 2000 and is well on its way to meeting others. But being the 2010 hosts will give the country a significant boost towards its target growth rate of at least 6% by 2010.

The timing of the World Cup is significant for South Africa - as it coincides nicely with the maturing of key government interventions such as the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA).

Growth was about 3% during the first decade of freedom, from 1994 to 2004 - a considerable improvement on the decade before 1994, when it averaged 1% a year. Since 2004, growth has exceeded 4% per year, reaching about 5% in 2005.

However, the growth rate needed for the Government to achieve its social objectives is around 5% on average between 2004 and 2014. The plan is to achieve this in two phases. In the first phase, between 2005 and 2009, the target is an annual growth rate of 4,5% or higher. In the second phase, between 2010 and 2014, the aim is an average growth rate of at least 6% of gross domestic product (GDP).

In addition, the government aims to ensure that the fruits of growth are shared in such a way that poverty and unemployment are halved by 2014, and that the severe inequalities that still affect the country are further reduced.

Part of the way government will ensure the World Cup contributes to the country's growth and development goals is by making sure hosting the tournament brings opportunities that can be accessed by South Africans, in a way that will empower those who were systematically excluded from participation in the economy under apartheid.

For more see Economic Opportunities 2010

Legacy

South Africa's ambitions in hosting the World Cup don't end with the event itself. In fact, when the whistle is blown at the close of the final match, it will mean the end of the tournament - but the beginning of a legacy.

So, in hosting Africa's first World Cup, the Government is working towards 2010 as an event that will leave a lasting legacy for the people of this country, as well as the people of the entire continent.

That legacy will be one that stretches far and wide: by 2010, South Africa will have built better sports facilities, a better public transport system and a better roads and telecommunications infrastructure.

But working for 2010 is also about building the country in ways that go beyond improving infrastructure: it's about developing football and the youth, promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports, and fostering pride in our country and our continent.

For more see Community Opportuntities.

Development

Stadiums and recreational facilities

A major focus of this infrastructure development is, of course, the building or improving of the match venues and their environs. The hosting of the World Cup will leave a legacy of sports and recreation facilities in South Africa, in the form of 10 state-of-the-art stadiums and the development of other recreational facilities.

Providing sports facilities in communities that have not had such facilities before is a key benefit of hosting 2010. The World Cup will leave first class venues for soccer, following apartheid-era neglect. But the upgraded facilities will also benefit sport and recreational activities in general.

In addition to the World Cup match sites, cities and provinces are also investing in the upgrading and development of other sports venues, some of which may be used as training venues. For instance, the City of Johannesburg has allocated R337 million to upgrade the Orlando Stadium and its surrounding precinct in Soweto and R69 million to upgrade the Dobsonville Stadium and its precinct, over a period of three years. An additional amount of R227 million has been budgeted to upgrade the Rand Stadium, the Cecil Payne Stadium in Roodepoort, Rabie Ridge Stadium and Ruimsig Stadium.

SAFA (the South African Football Association) House, the new home of South African football, has been completed. It was officially handed to the association on the 31 January 2007. It was constructed using an advance by FIFA and is already a visible legacy of the World Cup. The Organising Committee and FIFA will have offices here until the end of the tournament.

Transport

Preparations for 2010 have accelerated government spending in key areas such as transport, which has received R9 billion. A vastly improved public transport system is one of the legacies that South Africa will secure from the hosting of the World Cup, as the opportunity will be used to fast-track public transport development plans.

The Government's World Cup transport projects are also catalysts for the faster development of an efficient, sustainable and affordable public transport system that will benefit commuters and the economy in the years following the event.

Social services

As government works to deliver its guarantees for the World Cup it will use this opportunity to accelerate the improvement of social services in key areas, including immigration and health services. In particular, programmes to strengthen the provision of emergency medical services will be fast-tracked.

For more information see stadiums, transport, funding and planning.