News & Media

2010 FIFA WORLD CUP

It has been estimated that the 2010 FIFA World Cup will create some 329 000 jobs, contribute around 0.4 percent to South Africa's gross domestic product (GDP) and generate another R7.2-billion in government taxes, with around 450 000 visitors expected to spend some R9.8-billion in the country during the tournament.

However, the indirect spin-offs from improved perceptions abroad could have an even greater, longer-lasting impact, not only on South Africa and its development but on the continent as a whole. A successful World Cup will help change the perceptions that a large number of foreign investors hold of Africa.

FLY THE FLAG FOR FOOTBALL CAMPAIGN

The 2010 National Communication Partnership (NCP), a joint effort comprising organizations involved in communicating about the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup, launched a national campaign aimed at building public excitement, awareness and support leading up to the FIFA event.

Under the banner, "Fly the Flag for Football!", thousands of South African Flags, together with information leaflets, will be distributed to travellers and holiday makers over the Easter Weekend. This period was chosen as it is traditionally one of the busiest holiday periods in South Africa, with thousands of South Africans travelling across the country.

The NCP hopes to distribute over 47 million South African Flags through various campaigns leading up to the start of the 2010 FIFA World CupTM in June 2010.

South African football legend Mark Fish is the official spokesperson and will garner support and spread the message to the public for the duration of the campaign. He says, "The South African National Flag is a proud symbol of unity. The eyes of the world will soon be upon us as we fly our Flag and fill the land with the vibrancy, spirit and colour of South Africa. These events are more about football - it's the opportunity of a lifetime, for South Africa and Africa as a whole. Let us raise our Flags in unity, joining together to make the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 and 2010 FIFA World Cup joyful, unforgettable events. Fly your Flag and show the world the warmth and spirit of South Africa."

Zakumi, the 2010 FIFA World Cup mascot, is also participating and will be spotted throughout the country interacting with the public and encouraging support. Colourful face-painted figures wearing South African Flag t-shirts and Makarapas, the traditional football fan hat that is unique to South Africa, will be handing out free Flags at various tollgates, garages and airports across the country. State of the art digital shoot-outs will also feature at various locations where members of the public will have a chance to win prizes after taking shots at a virtual goal.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup will have an impact on various elements, which includes:

ECONOMY

The 2010 FIFA World Cup will leave a legacy that will remain long after the last vuvuzela has sounded. A 2008 study by specialist consulting firm Grant Thornton Strategic Solutions revealed that the world's biggest sporting event would not only contribute R55-billion ($5.5-billion) to South Africa's economy, but it would attract a cumulative worldwide TV audience of 35-40 billion. However, exorbitant prices, a strong rand and fewer-than-expected foreign visitors could scupper local retailers' hopes of significant sales boosts during the World Cup this year. Tourists to the region will continue to pour through passport control after the tournament, bringing with them a host of opportunities for tourism entrepreneurs. Upgrades to infrastructure, especially transport systems, are benefits that will be enjoyed by all for many years to come.

TOURIST ARRIVALS

South Africa is expecting tourist numbers to surge and the goal of having 10-million international visitors visiting the country by 2010 is well within reach. Many industry leaders feel that the global financial crunch is not expected to have any negative impact on tourist numbers, as South Africa remains an affordable destination in any currency. It was however mentioned that South Africa might not have the same return of investment as Germany had at the last World Cup in 2006, but the world was a different place then. Major airports around the country are undergoing extensive upgrades and the new King Shaka international airport at la Mercy, north of Durban, will open in time to welcome visitors to the province.

INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENTS

South Africa is pulling out all the stops to make sure the first FIFA football World Cup to be held on African soil will raise the bar for all future editions of the tournament. The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be more than the world's biggest sports gathering - it will also be a means to improve the lives of South Africans and citizens of other African countries.

Given this, it is intent on improving infrastructure, from transport and healthcare to safety and security, as well as leaving a lasting legacy for the country and the continent long after the final whistle has blown.

Herewith a short summary on all the infrastructure developments that is taking place ahead of South Africa hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

LEGACY

The South African government has committed itself to investing in the infrastructure, logistics, communications and security that will be needed to ensure that the 2010 FIFA World Cup is a resounding success.

It has promised the millions of fans who will be coming to watch the event that they will be safe in South Africa, with R6.8-billion earmarked for crime prevention and justice services.

South Africa has made an undertaking that the legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup will not be confined to the host country, and has made the continent-wide legacy one of the core focus areas of preparations for the event. The government is collaborating with African countries on a number of projects which will contribute to the African legacy. These fall in the areas of:

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 is about developing football and the youth, promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports, and fostering pride in the country and continent.

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, Johannesburg has allocated R337-million (US$42.4-million) to upgrade the Orlando Stadium and its surrounding precinct in Soweto and R69-million ($8.9-million) to upgrade the Dobsonville Stadium and its precinct, over a period of three years.

An additional R227-million ($28.5-million) has been budgeted to upgrade the Rand Stadium, the Cecil Payne Stadium in Roodepoort, Rabie Ridge Stadium and Ruimsig Stadium. Already Safa House, the home of the South African Football Association, has been completed. It was officially handed to the association on 31 January 2007.

As the 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.

In addition, cities have planned their own legacy projects. Johannesburg, for example, has identified seven. These are providing street furniture in the inner city; greening of underdeveloped soccer fields; an indoor sports centre; upgrading of Diepkloof Hostel; greening of Klipspruit River; Bus Rapid Transit system; and establishing the Soweto Theatre.

In Cape Town, a new electrical substation is being built in Green Point to ensure enough power for the stadium and surrounding area. Other municipal service upgrades are in the pipeline and the new owners of the V&A Waterfront are investing R7-billion in the precinct, six new hotels are planned, while other private sector companies are also investing. The city aims to ensure that rail, rapid bus transport and a recapitalised taxi service move people about efficiently and reduce private car use during the tournament and in the long-term. In terms of safety, integrated operations and operations centres between all law enforcement agencies, intelligence, technology, training and extra resources will improve security, safety and law enforcement.

STADIUMS

The standard of stadiums is crucial to hosting World Cup matches, while smaller stadiums need to be upgraded to be used as training venues. In all, 10 stadiums have been earmarked for the World Cup, with five of them being built. They are:

Of these, four can be used to host the FIFA World Cup tomorrow. Ellis Park, Loftus Versfeld, Free State Stadium and Royal Bafokeng Stadium were all successfully used to host the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.

INTERNATIONAL BROADCAST CENTRE (IBC)

A staggering 26.4-billion people watched the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany; many more are expected to watch in 2010. Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban all bid to host the IBC, but the cabinet approved Johannesburg's bid. The event will be also be broadcast in high definition television and fully broadcast on mobile phones, while there is already a strong movement towards electronic newspapers and multimedia reporting. The IBC will be the media nerve centre for the World Cup. It will provide coverage to a cumulative audience of more than 35-billion viewers, and the government will use the construction of the IBC to enhance South Africa's migration to high definition television and new broadcasting technology.

HEALTHCARE

The South African government is making every effort to ensure that health and medical services are adequately prepared for the World Cup. The Department of Health has set up a multi-sectoral and intra-governmental health technical task team that includes 15 expert workgroups, a national programme unit and nine provincial programme managers. The Health World Cup Unit was finalising a master plan based on the inputs from these workgroups. Guarantees the department has made involve providing adequate healthcare infrastructure, including 24-hour emergency medical treatment and disaster management in the host cities. Some R286-million has been budgeted to make sure it delivers on these guarantees.

In October 2007 the health department said progress had been made in improving a select service that would not only improve service delivery during the tournament but would also leave a legacy for the country. These include initiatives such as the improvements made in the emergency medical services, emergency centres, stadium medical facilities and port health services. Improvements have started, including modernising and expanding the ambulance fleet, modernising communications centres, expanding aero-medical services and enhancing emergency care training. Hospital systems are being strengthened and in addition to mass causality preparation, certain public and private health facilities are being designated as primary centres for the tournament. A comprehensive bed bureau will also be established at each designated hospital linking it with the provincial health operations centre, providing a real time picture of bed availability.

FUNDING

Billions of rand have already been committed by the government for upgrading infrastructure, with the bulk of developments taking place in the host cities, it was said during a briefing by the Financial and Fiscal Commission in October 2007. The commission was briefing the Public Works Portfolio Committee. To date, R17.4-billion ($2.2-billion) has been made available to the different provinces for use in the construction and revamping of stadiums. The government has said that all developments, transport infrastructure in particular, is not only aimed at 2010, but well beyond in an effort to create sustainable infrastructure growth.

TRANSPORT

 The plan is for host cities to have efficient public transport in place in time for the World Cup. Already Johannesburg and Tshwane have announced their bus rapid transit (BRT) systems. Johannesburg's project has been named Rea Vaya, or "we are moving". With BRT, the cities aim to provide faster, safer and more reliable transport than current public transport, making it more affordable. It involves the construction of "bus way corridors" on dedicated lanes and modernised technology. In Gauteng the BRT systems will intergrate with the Gautrain, and in all cities they will work with already existing public transport programmes, such as Metrorail.

Construction of the infrastructure in Tshwane began towards the end of 2008 and trial runs were made in late in 2009. The system is expected to start full operation mid 2010. In Johannesburg, the new system will consist of 330 kilometres of special public transport lanes and intersections, running north and south of the city, and west and east. The BRT foresees exclusive median bus lanes; separate, closed median stations about 500 metres apart; bus frequencies of three to five minutes apart in peak times and 10 minutes apart in off-peak times; a GIS-based control centre; smartcard fare technology; buses running from 5am to midnight; and a model that incorporates incumbent taxi and bus operators.

The full system of 330 kilometres, to be completed by 2013, will run from Orange Farm in the south, right through to Midrand in the north, with routes going west to Protea Glen in Soweto and Westgate, and passing through Northgate and Fourways. The BRT will also run to the airport, and to Southcrest, through City Deep, in the southeast. A circular inner city route will service residents and workers.

Government spending on transport has already reached 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 an efficient, sustainable and affordable public transport system that will benefit commuters and the economy in the years following the event. In Cape Town, R1.9-billion ($239-million) has been budgeted to improve transport infrastructure, including strategic transport corridors and major routes, while the rail system, long-distance public transport facilities and inner-city distribution system will receive major upgrades. The Airports Company of South Africa is spending R1,2-billion ($150.9-million) on upgrading Cape Town International Airport to cope with visitors during the tournament and with a steadily increasing amount of traffic through the airport. An airport to city link is also proposed.

GAUTRAIN

The Gautrain Rapid Rail Link is a state-of-the-art rapid rail network being constructed in Gauteng. It comprises of two links, namely between Tshwane and Johannesburg, and between OR Tambo International Airport and Sandton, northern Joburg. Apart from the three anchor stations on these two links, seven other stations will be linked by about 80 kilometres of rail. Construction has started on the southern portion of the project, including Park Station, Rosebank, Sandton, Marlboro, Midrand, Rhodesfield and OR Tambo International Airport Stations, and south of Midrand. It is steaming ahead through Joburg's Modderfontein and road and intersection upgrades and traffic diversions to accommodate the construction activities are on the go, mostly near Sandton, Rosebank and Park Stations.

Construction and completion will take place in various stages. The Sandton to OR Tambo International Airport as well as the link between Sandton and Midrand will be completed and tested in 45 months, in time for the World Cup. The remaining five stations, inclusive of the links between Sandton and Johannesburg's Park Station and Midrand to Hatfield, will be completed and tested in 54 months, by 1 March 2011.

A few challenges are also facing South Africa with the FIFA 2010 World Cup around the corner, namely:

ACCOMMODATION

The accommodation crisis for the 2010 Soccer World Cup appears to have been averted after football governing body FIFA and the 2010 Local Organising Committee announced at the end of 2009 that the issue had been resolved. The success of the first World Cup to be held in Africa was balanced on a knife edge after FIFA president, Sepp Blatter admitted in June that organisers were spending sleepless night working out where they would accommodate foreign visitors. But the Local Organising Committee said the problem was resolved after many of the operators that had steadfastly refused to be signed up with MATCH, - the professional services company selected by FIFA to provide ticketing, accommodation and event information technology, finally agreed to be registered.

An audit carried out by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, shows that there are more than 202 000 rooms available across the country, which indicates that there will be enough to provide for the approximately 450 000 visitors expected to come to SA for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Of the 202 000 rooms available, more than 107 000 are graded - that is, the grading council guarantees that each will attain a certain verified standard. MATCH, the company appointed by FIFA to deliver accommodation and ticketing solutions for the World Cup stated that they have 44 000 rooms contracted for the delegations, commercial affiliates, media and participating tour operators. All of their rooms are graded. They also have another 4 500 rooms in neighbouring countries.

Many of the hotels and other hospitality establishments signed up over the past few months and surely the country should be able to make up more before the tournament gets under way. Several hotels and other operators had refused to sign up with MATCH as many believed they could make more money if they did things alone and did not have to abide by FIFA's stringent guidelines and regulations for the World Cup.

CRIME

South Africa will take advantage of National Safety Month in February to highlight its readiness to host the 2010 Fifa World Cup. February is dedicated to matters of safety and security, with related activities taking place around the country. The 2010 FIFA World Cup is just more than 100 days away and therefore it is vitally important that adequate anti-crime measures are firmly in place well before kick-off, in order to guarantee the safety of visitors. The South African Police Service (SAPS) will also embark on a series of outreach events to encourage communities to get involved in snuffing out crime. These include debates at schools on strategies to deal with crime, and imbizos, or forums for promoting dialogue and interaction between citizens and government. The imbizos will deal with security issues. The Local Organising Committee (LOC) filed a comprehensive security plan with FIFA in June 2008. After careful scrutiny the world football body endorsed the plan, saying it provided a reassuring basis for security at the event.

In addition, the SAPS took delivery of two new Robinson R44 Raven II helicopters in October 2008, to strengthen its crime-fighting capabilities ahead of the 2010 Fifa World Cup.The state-of-the-art aircraft, worth R5-million (US$496 000) each, are part of a consignment of six specifically commissioned with 2010 in mind. Armscor, the official procurement arm of the South African Department of Defence, facilitated the purchases from the National Aircraft Company, which specialises in aircraft sales and maintenance, as well as pilot training. The deal was funded by the SAPS 2010 budget, which has seen more than R600-million ($60-million) set aside for the purchase of equipment relating directly to the Fifa World Cup. The other four helicopters were delivered at the end of November 2008.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup may bring more than a flood of tourists to South Africa; cyber crime and viruses are also likely to increase dramatically.The 2010 World Cup poses a major threat as computer or electronic attacks are about business - criminal business. All the malicious software that is created and distributed is because criminals smell money. Visiting tourists will bring in large amounts of money, attracting criminal activity. There are also concerns that South Africa's technology infrastructure makes it particularly vulnerable.

Credit card fraud poses the greatest threat, with criminals using various methods to retrieve PIN codes, passwords and other sensitive information. Credit card usage is actually very high in South Africa and people using credit card and electronic payments are unaware of the threat and so credit card fraud is highly likely.

TICKET SALES

After three of five ticketing sales phases for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa, 2 million tickets (two-thirds of the total available) have been sold, but FIFA ticketing committee was at one stage worried about the poor response from local supporters.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup Local Organising Committee (LOC) confirmed at the beginning of this year that moves are afoot to change the way tickets are sold in South Africa in order to accommodate local fans. At the moment, tickets can be bought by filling in application forms at First National Bank (FNB) branches or fans can apply for tickets online. This process has sparked an outcry from football fans, who complain that it is just too complicated to secure tickets for Africa's first world cup tournament.

Some soccer analysts have also pointed out that ordinary soccer supporters in South Africa may not be familiar with the Internet and other technology used to apply for World Cup tickets. Meanwhile, FIFA also announced the creation of a new sales phase between 9 February and 7 April, to ensure that fans from the qualified associations have more time and easier access to tickets to watch their teams.

Apart from the host country, the USA led the ticketing standings for the third phase with 50 127 applications, followed by the UK (41 529), Australia (15 523), Mexico (14 804), Germany (14 647) and Brazil (10 767).

The prices for group matches range from US$20 to US$160 (opening match: US$70 - US$450; final: US$150 - US$900) or R140 - R1 120 (opening match: R490 - R3 150; final: R1 050 - R6 300). For Fifa World Cup ticket purchases the rand-dollar exchange rate has been fixed at R7 to the dollar. The LOC will absorb the cost should the real-time exchange rate rise above this threshold. While category 4 tickets are only available to South Africans and will only be sold in local currency, the remaining three categories may be purchased by all, including home-grown football supporters.