News
2010 more than just a game – Govt
21 August - The 2010 Fifa World Cup to be hosted in South Africa should be used as a vehicle to send new images to the world about the people of South Africa and the African continent alike, media delegates in Beijing have heard.
World Cup to boost SA tourism
21 August - South African tourism and leisure sectors are set to benefit from the country’s hosting of the 2010 Fifa World Cup™, Deputy Minister of Finance Jabulani Moleketi said on Thursday.
SA police promise safe World Cup
19 August - South African National Deputy Police Commissioner Andre Pruis says the 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup™ and the 2010 Fifa World Cup™ to be held in South Africa will be safe.
Media to scrutinise 2010 preparations
15 August - A contingent of international and local media representatives has been invited to put preparations for the 2010 Fifa World Cup™ under the microscope in Beijing, the Department of Sport and Recreation said in a statement on Friday.
2010 lessons from Olympic volunteers
15 August - Potential volunteers for the 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup™ and 2010 Fifa World Cup™ to be hosted in South Africa will have to be on top of their game to ensure that crucial areas of operations are well-manned during the events.
SA must unite to make 2010 a success - govt
13 August - With less than 666 days left before the biggest soccer event on the African continent kicks off, government has called on South Africans to come together and share the vision of making it a memorable success.
Fifa: Nothing can go wrong in 2010
12 August - Fifa boss Sepp Blatter has once again reiterated his confidence in South Africa’s hosting of the 2010 Fifa World Cup™ saying the event will change the face of the tournament.
Beijing comes alive with Olympic spirit
12 August - Giant outdoor screens brandishing the Olympic circles, sports memorabilia, Chinese flags, strict traffic flow protocol, heavy police presence, branded commodities, scores of tourists, giant official mascots, late night food markets, and game.
LOC gets ball rolling at Host Cities
06 August - The 2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa™ Organizing Committee has announced the appointment of eight Organising Committee Venue Managers in a move aimed at dispersing its operations to host city level.
2010 boss for Soccerex
05 August - Soccerex have announced that Danny Jordaan, CEO of the 2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa™ Organizing Committee will be participating at the 2008 Soccerex Conference programme.
Volunteer applications hit 20 000
04 August - More than 20 000 South Africans have applied to volunteer during the 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup™ tournament, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) Volunteer Programme said on Friday.
2010 security exercises in Bloemfontein
04 August - South African law enforcement agencies will hold joint security exercises in Bloemfontein in preparation for the 2010 Fifa World Cup™, South African Police Service (SAPS) said in a statement on Sunday.
20 November 2007
Over 30 000 police for 2010 World Cup
Michael AppelPretoria - More than 30 000 police officers are being recruited and trained specifically for strategic deployment for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, government announced Tuesday.
According to the 2010 Government FIFA World Cup Unit, South Africa's security Master Plan has been completed and is being implemented.
"The more than 30 000 police officers who will be responsible for the tournament are already being recruited and undergoing training. These officers will be deployed at Premier Soccer League (PSL) matches during 2008 and 2009 to gain experience.
"Part of the security plan is already in operation for the Preliminary Draw in Durban this coming weekend," reported the Government 2010 Unit.
Another feature of the safety and security plan for the world cup is that police will be divided into sections, with teams patrolling and focusing on FIFA headquarters, hotels, stadiums, Fan Parks, restaurants and tourists destinations.
Additionally, special courts will be available 24 hours seven days a week to ensure access to justice during the tournament.
Deputy Minister of Finance Jabu Moleketi, speaking at a briefing, Tuesday, on government's progress in preparation for the World Cup, said South Africa has committed themselves to one Fan Park per host city as by agreement with FIFA.
"The official fan parks are organised under the auspices of FIFA, and we have agreed each host city must have one Fan Park.
"The fan parks we have here will be very similar to those seen in Germany [during the 2006 World Cup], and will be branded by the partners of FIFA and secured by our own security services because it is one of the areas that will cater to the broad amount of supporters in the tournament.
"To give you the figures, there were more people in the fan parks in Germany, almost six times more, than the actual people in the stadiums. This gives you an idea of the scale of importance of these Fan Parks," he said.
The deputy minister highlighted that it is the obligation of the various host cities to make resources and infrastructure available for those fan parks.
"Fan parks are therefore also something that is driven by the availability of resources and capacity, in particular the capacity of South African security services to be able to secure these fan parks," he commented.
Due to the volume of people in fan parks compared to stadiums, "When you talk about security, we're not just talking about people being safe in stadiums, but also in these fan parks," said Mr Moleketi.
South Africa already boasts an impressive record in its ability to manage security for high-level events which include the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in 2002, the 1998 Non-Aligned Movement summit, 1995 Rugby World Cup, the African Cup of Nations in 1996, All Africa Games in 1999, Cricket World Cup 2003, and the recent T20 World Cup 2007.
With regard to further infrastructure development of Information Communication Technology (ICTs) in preparation for 2010, "The Department of Communications (DOC) and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) have agreed on the relevant projects for the implementation of the telecommunications and broadcasting guarantees," he said.
DOC Deputy Director General for the ICT Infrastructure Development, Rosey Sekese said: "we [department] have quantified the figure [set aside for the development of ICTs in the Last Mile] and they have been submitted to National Treasury.
"In terms of the timeline for the Last Mile, [which is the final stage of dispersing broadband access] we're looking at about 12 months, but are working with a slack of 18 months which is six months more than we need."
Ms Sekese however said that Telkom has already started upgrading its base network as part of the fulfilment of the guarantees.
Meanwhile, nation-wide strikes at all 2010 stadia were averted on Monday following the resolution of negotiations between construction workers and contractors over monthly project bonuses and the right to appoint a safety officer.
The workers, all members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), went on strike almost two weeks ago demanding R1 500 monthly project bonuses and safer working conditions at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
The employers comprising a joint venture of Group Five, WBHO and Pandev agreed to pay workers R2 000 on the industries last working day, 14 December 2007, and a second bonus of R4 000 on 31 May 2008.
Source: BuaNews