News
Soccerex to put SA on world map
06 October - The imminent hosting of the 2010 Fifa World Cup™ in South Africa has opened many doors for South Africa, one of them being Soccerex, the biggest football-focused exhibition in the world.
Referees set sights on 2010 World Cup
02 October - Qualifying is already well underway for teams looking to book their place at the 2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa™, but it is not just players and coaches of the various countries who are looking ahead to 2010. The world's top referees also have their sights set on South Africa.
2010 plans to be piloted during PSL match
01 October - Saturday’s Premier Soccer League clash between Orlando Pirates and Santos at Ellis Park Stadium will be used to pilot Park and Ride facilities in preparation for the 2010 Fifa World Cup™, the department of transport said on Tuesday.
Transport Month highlights 2010 progress
30 September - Preparations to welcome thousands of fans to South Africa for the 2010 Fifa World Cup™ spectacular are at an advanced stage at OR Tambo International Airport.
Government: Politics won’t affect World Cup
29 September - The unfolding changes in the Executive of the Republic of South Africa will not have any negative impact on preparations for the 2010 Fifa World Cup™.
‘Adopt a Nation’ campaign to galvanise kids
29 September - The Local Organising Committee South Africa has invited millions of school children to be part of 2010 Fifa World Cup™. The “Adopt a Nation” school programme was launched at the Nasrec Sports Precinct in Johannesburg on Saturday.
New SA president pledges best World Cup
26 September - President-elect of the Republic of South Africa, Kgalema Motlanthe, says the government remains committed to all the promises it made to Fifa and the international football community to deliver the best 2010 Fifa World Cup™.
Klerksdorp city banks on 2010 spinoffs
25 September - The City of Matlosana is ready to benefit from South Africa’s hosting of the 2010 Fifa World Cup™ with sponsorships and football development programmes already in place.
Zakumi: 2010 Fifa World Cup Official Mascot launched
22 September - Zakumi, the Official 2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa™ Mascot, has made his first ever public appearance at a media launch at SABC’s Auckland Park studios in Johannesburg.
2010 World Cup Mascot launch on Monday
19 September - The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) – official broadcast partner of the 2010 Fifa World Cup™ – will on Monday unveil the long awaited Official Mascot of the 2010 Fifa World Cup. The launch will be broadcast live on SABC1.
10 January 2008
Volunteer programmes on track for 2010
Craig UrquhartJohannesburg - The process of recruiting thousands of volunteers to assist South Africa's 2010 Organising Committee (OC) with running the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ is well under way, with several new initiatives planned for this year.
The OC said it will start recruiting volunteers across the country in 2008 with a view to providing them with comprehensive training, according to Southafrica.info.
The OC plans to recruit ordinary people and experts in various fields to serve as volunteers. The experts will include medical practitioners, translators, people from the legal fraternity, and information technology experts.
There are also plans to recruit disabled people into the process.
The Umsobomvu Youth Fund is in negotiations with the OC to put 15 000 young people into volunteer programmes.
In Cape Town, an important pilot project has just been launched. As part of the city's tourism visitor services strategy, 14 people have been selected from a database of potential visitor ambassadors.
They have been screened and are undergoing extensive orientation and training in both security and visitor services.
It is envisioned that the programme will become a sustainable and permanent part of the city's visitor services platform and 2010 readiness project.
Over the next few months, the spotlight will fall on ordinary South Africans who want to play a role in ensuring that the 2010 World Cup will be the world-class event that OC Chief Executive Danny Jordaan has promised it will be.
Previous world cup tournaments have demonstrated that volunteer programmes play a vital role in securing the buy-in of the public and ensuring the successful hosting of an event of this magnitude. It will be no different in 2010.
The first group of volunteers were thrown in at the deep-end for November's 2010 Preliminary Draw in Durban and they passed with flying colours.
Volunteer and sport fanatic Ayesha Omar, 22, told BuaNews at the time that she decided to be a volunteer because she wanted to play her part in making the event a success.
Ms Omar said that moral and enthusiasm among the volunteer support staff was high and that there was a great feeling of national pride.
"We as volunteers realise how important it is to get the country behind such an event to ensure South Africa hosts a successful world cup."
Ms Omar, who is completing her masters in political philosophy at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, believes playing against Nigeria will serve as good training for Bafana Bafana, adding that they will be a tough competitor.
"The success of the event was by and large due to the countless unnamed, unheard proud citizens of South Africa," she said at the time.
Source: BuaNews