Government Preparations for the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup

Q: The Deputy Minister was asked to run through the scope and timeline of the ICT development, especially the contract with Telkom.

A: Ms Rosey Sekese, Deputy Director General, Department of Communications, replied that primary optic links supported by secondary optic links would link to a satellite connection. Government and Telkom were providing the primary and secondary fibre optics to the stadia. Telkom was to equip all stadia to be used for the Confederations Cup before those stadia that would be used only for the World Cup. She noted that the funding of the ICT would be done by government, guided by the National fiscus

Q: The Deputy Minister was asked how much over-run there had been, and how much more over-run was expected.

A: Hon Jabu Moleketi replied that market forces would dictate the final over-run, and so he could not provide a precise estimate, but he said that this could be upwards of R2 billion. He mentioned that there were discussions between host cities, the National fiscus and the Development Bank to draw up a plan on how to re-service these over-runs.

Q: The Deputy Minister was asked if transport would be ready for the 2009 Confederations Cup.

A: Ms Lusanda Madikizela, Director: 2010 Transport Project Coordination Unit, responded that construction was done in phases, and all Confederation Cup venues were nearing the end phases of construction. She also reiterated that 2009 Confederations Cup venues’ transport systems were being completed first, before turning attention to the 2010 World Cup transport systems.

Q: A question was asked about the concerns shown in parliament about the transport legacy project.

Q: The Deputy Minister was then asked about Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) systems, and whether they received support from the public transport sector.

A: Ms Madikizela advised that all BRT projects were in all host cities, and therefore the taxi industry was brought on board. She also mentioned that buses had been ordered and tenders offered.

Q: The Deputy Minister was asked whether government had guaranteed that signals would be available overseas, and how this was to be done, whether through use of satellite, under-sea cables, or both.

A: Ms Sekese advised that there were two-fold signal guarantees – namely, Johannesburg via Cape Town or Durban. She stated that the current capacity was not good enough. However, three international organisations were assisting in upgrading. Sentech was to construct a satellite link to deal with satellite issues. Broadcasting rights were handled by FIFA, and that this was a commercial and not a government issue.

Q: A question was posed on what the plans were with regards to intelligence gathering to combat scams, gangs, schemes and syndicates who might target the 2010 event.

A: Commissioner Andre Pruis, Deputy National Commissioner of Police, informed the media that there was a two pronged approach. The first would be targeting violent crimes and the second would target syndicates. He said that the South African Police Service (SAPS) was monitoring all syndicates. The second intelligence procedure completed recently indicated no evidence or suggestion that there were currently syndicates targeting the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Q: The Deputy Minister was asked whether FIFA had any reasons to have a second plan.

A: Hon Moleketi replied that he could not speak on behalf of FIFA, but he assured everyone that both the Confederations Cup and the World Cup would take place in South Africa in 2009 and 2010 respectively. He stated that South Africa had hosted numerous other sporting events and other international occasions. He mentioned that the only difference was that of scale. He further assured the Press that South Africa would upgrade timeously to meet that scale

Q: The Deputy Minister was asked how many beds South Africa was short of, according to FIFA standards.

A: Hon Moleketi responded that South Africa received over a million tourists per annum, and that football fans were essentially tourists under another name. Football fans and tourists had the same demands and needs, but soccer is a priority to the fans. The Deputy Minister called upon Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) such as Bed and Breakfasts (B&B) venues to seize the moment. He also informed the press that South Africa wanted to offer a variety of experiences, including Game lodges, township tours and others.

Q: The Deputy Minister was asked whether the projected over-run was just in respect of the stadia costs.

A: Hon Moleketi replied that a number of stadia had indicated cost over-runs, as technical designs and costing was done by the host cities and then forwarded to national government. Furthermore, he mentioned that host cities came up with complex and expensive stadia and thus must share the burden. He also stated that project management illustrated a skills deficit in the country. He hoped that the preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup would remedy this. He further emphasised that cost escalation was a result of global price escalations.

Q: The Deputy Minister was asked how far Safety and Security services had gone to combat and bar hooliganism.

A: Commissioner Pruis informed the media that the SAPS cooperated with various other countries and had set up numerous task teams. The SAPS had also launched ‘Operation Shield’,  which was an all inclusive reactionary squad, including a bomb squad, crowd reaction, dog units, anti-terror units and others. Furthermore SAPS was receiving assistance from INTERPOL. He also mentioned that there was a list of known hooligans, but no bans had been put in place yet. He mentioned that the hooligans could be dealt with since SAPS had strengthened and equipped it’ units with new body armour.

Mr Tiyani Rikhotso thanked the media for attending and adjourned the briefing.

STATEMENT ON GOVERNMENT PREPARATIONS FOR THE 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP™
13 AUGUST 2008

In exactly 666 days, thousands of football fans from across the world will descend on South Africa to witness the very first FIFA World Cup™ to be hosted on the African continent.

Since the day FIFA awarded South Africa the rights to host this prestigious soccer showpiece, the nation has been hard at work, ensuring that no stone is left unturned in preparing for what we believe will be the best World Cup ever.

Various components tasked with organizing this event, particularly the government and the Organising Committee, have formed seamless partnerships that aim to ensure that no area critical to the success of the World Cup is left unattended.

The government of the Republic of South Africa is pleased with the progress being made so far and remains confident that all deadlines will be met.

The 2010 Inter-Ministerial Committee met a fortnight ago. The meeting received a progress report from the 2010 Technical Coordinating Committee.

The report indicated that preparations were proceeding well and most projects were still within targeted completion timeframes.

The meeting was briefed about progress being made in the construction of stadiums. The report indicated that all stadiums, both for Confederations Cup and 2010 World Cup, will be completed in time to meet the FIFA deadlines.
 
The meeting was also briefed about the decision to exclude Nelson Mandela Bay as one of the hosts of the 2009 Confederations Cup.

It was noted that the decision was a result of technical reasons related to the construction of the roof. The decision doesn’t exclude Nelson Mandela Bay from hosting the 2010 World Cup and the stadium would be completed in time for the 2010 tournament.

The Inter-Ministerial Committee meeting also received a report from the Department of Transport which details the country’s 2010 Transport Operational Plan including commuter rail, aviation and road transport. 

Transport Minister Jeff Radebe told the meeting that the complete National Transport Plan which includes the Host Cities plans was submitted to FIFA on 30 June 2008.
Government is also pleased with preparations on other areas central to delivering a successful World Cup such as safety and security.
As part of its routine exercises, the South African Police Service jointly with the SA National Defence Force and other agencies and Government departments conducted “Operation Shield” in Bloemfontein between 3 August and 9 August 2008.
The exercise is aimed at honing our security-related skills to ensure a safe environment in host cities during major events, including securing the national airspace and other strategic key points. Some of the most elite members and units within the security forces will engage in simulated scenarios and enact certain aspects of law enforcement agencies’ emergency contingency plans in order to neutralize any form of airborne and land-borne threat.
This operation is considered to be an excellent training opportunity for the security personnel to be deployed during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which is less than two years away.
The government continues to believe that the country is on course to deliver on the guarantees we made to FIFA as part of our bid to stage this historic World Cup.

Government calls on all South Africans to rally their efforts behind the 2010 project in their various areas of expertise to ensure that come 2010, we deliver the best world cup ever. 
 
South Africans have proven to be capable of hosting major global events such as the 1995 Rugby World Cup™, the World Summit on Sustainable Development, the Racism Conference, among others. Guided by the same spirit that saw us deliver the mentioned events, the government believes that South Africans will spare no effort in their endeavors to deliver to the world the most successful world cup.   

We will continue to monitor the work being done by the various sectors involved in the 2010 World Cup project. 

The challenges associated with organising an event of this magnitude can at times appear to be overwhelming. However because of the commitment that the people of South Africa have made to FIFA and the rest of the football community, we believe that no challenge is bigger than the will to deliver a successful event.

Ordinary South Africans have shown great interest in the event in many ways. Since the launch of the volunteers programme for 2009 Confederations Cup, the Organising Committee has received over 20 thousand applications from South Africans who want to be part of the making of this history at no cost.

This is just one of the many examples that the citizens of this country share a common responsibility of ensuring that the 2010 FIFA World Cup becomes a memorable event that would leave a lasting legacy.

Ke nako! Celebrate Africa’s Humanity