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.
15 May 2008
SA’s World Cup dream still on track
Michael Appel
Pretoria – It was to a thunderous applause and tears of jubilation that Fifa President Sepp Blatter announced four years ago that South Africa’s bid to host the World Cup was successful.
When Mr Blatter opened the envelope with South Africa’s name on it, many believed it signified an end to pessimism surrounding Africa and the beginning of new things to come - not just for South Africa, but for the continent.
The excitement that has gripped the nation ever since has been palpable.
With 756 days to go before the country hosts the biggest sporting event to hit African shores, the country has been turned into a construction site, the Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo Ngcuka once said.
South Africa has been hard at work ensuring it meets the guarantees set by football’s governing body.
According to the Department of Sport and Recreation’s Mid-Term Report, any country wishing to host the world cup is required to provide a number of guarantees before it can be granted the right to host the tournament.
“In supporting the South African Football Association (SAFA) in its bid to host the world cup, the South African government submitted a declaration to FIFA to issue all the guarantees required in accordance with the list of requirements to ensure the success of a world cup.
“The South African government made a final commitment on behalf of all its departments that these guarantees would remain valid and operable, irrespective of any change in government or its representatives.”
South Africa had to roll up its sleeves and get back to the drawing board after narrowly losing the 2006 world cup bid to Germany in 2000.
In 2002, with renewed vigour and determination to bring the tournament to Africa for the very first time, SAFA bid committee once again notified FIFA of South Africa’s intention to bid for the world cup.
South Africa’s message during the bid was simple but powerful.
“It had the best stadia facilities in Africa – many already in existence, some to be upgraded, and some new.
“It had strong commercial backing from leading international corporations, the continents largest and most stable economy, a sophisticated media and broadcast industry and a huge support base from its million of citizens,” said the report.
South Africa’s bid committee offered the 24-member FIFA Executive Committee what South Africa had to offer, and if that wasn’t enough, a line up of three Nobel Peace Prize recipients would have done the trick.
Former President Nelson Mandela, accompanied by FW De Klerk and Archbishop Desmond Tutu were on hand to pledge their support for South Africa’s cause.
Having hosted the 1995 Rugby World Cup, the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations, the 1998 IAAF Athletics World Cup, the 1999 All Africa Games and the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup has branded South Africa as a reliable, consistent and perfectly capable host to any event.
Since South Africa was appointed the next host of the coveted event, the country has quite literally become a construction site with upgrades to all airports and the construction of a state-of-the-art rail system known as the Gautrain.
On top of the R70 billion budgeted for road infrastructure in 2007, the South African National Roads Agency and the Rail Commuter Corporation received a further R1.7 billion to upgrade roads and stations in areas critical to the World Cup.
Other projects include a R7.7 billion Taxi Recapitalisation Programme, which will see about 80 percent of the country’s taxis being replaced with safer more modern vehicles.
Projected investment in airport development is R19.5 billion, air traffic navigation R400 million, and passenger rail investment will total R16 billion.
Host cities is also doing their utmost to make sure transport in and around stadiums is quick and easy with the initiation of the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) programme which involves a dedicated bus lane running from surrounding areas into the cities.
Emphasis is foremost being placed on the creation of lasting legacies for the country and the people of Africa that will benefit generations to come long after the final whistle has been blown.
Apart from the physical structures that will remain after the world cup, the potential for growth in tourism in Africa and South Africa will far outweigh any immediate benefit the tournament brings.
Source: BuaNews