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All plans on track with 1000 days to 2010

Article Published: Friday 14 September 2007

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Friday, 14 September 2007, marks the start of the 1000 day countdown to the 2010 FIFA World Cup and a renewed vigour for the nation to meet all deadlines in the run-up to the tournament, writes Sholain Govender.

The first whistle of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa will be blown on 11 June 2010 and the final game will take place on 11 July 2010.

Since South Africa won the right to host the 2010 tournament at a function in Zurich in May 2004, the entire country has continued celebrating the victory through frenzied preparations for the international tournament.

Businesses big and small, soccer enthusiasts and even schoolboys on the playground have all contemplated their possible roles in the world cup.

The enthusiastic entrepreneurs have already drawn up business plans for 2010 profit-making schemes while ordinary people with spare rooms in their homes have learnt the bed and breakfast trade so they can make money too.

Billions have already been committed by government towards upgrading infrastructure and preparations are well under way, with the bulk of the work taking place in the nine host cities.

To date R17.4 billion has already been made available to the different provinces for use in the construction and revamping of stadiums.

Crucial milestones in the preparations timeline, including meeting the deadline for the planning completion for stadiums and transport infrastructure, are successfully being met.

This first phase in government's preparation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was completed in December 2006.

It put in place the framework and resources South Africa needed to fully comply with FIFA requirements.

It also involved the selection of host cities and stadiums. Host city agreements were signed; these are contracts between host cities and FIFA to govern cities' obligations and rights in hosting the World Cup. Legislation, such as the Special Measures Bill, was also adopted.

Across the government, extensive strategic and project planning culminated in the submission of project plans to the National Treasury and on the basis of business cases from cities and national departments, funding was allocated.

Projects were integrated in a 24-point project plan, and capacity and structures for management and coordination were put in place.

Next, funding was disbursed to the nine host cities from the National Treasury. Grants for key transport infrastructure projects were made available from the Department of Transport.

Then the development of stadiums and transport infrastructure began - as well as host city projects, the revamping of the major airports and the development of sections of the road network.

Soccer City, in Johannesburg, is being refurbished and will have a 94 700 capacity. It is the venue for the opening and closing match of the world cup and is already ahead of schedule according to 2010 CEO Dr Danny Jordaan.

The four other stadiums currently being built are Green Point Stadium in Cape Town, Mbombela in Nelspruit, the Peter Mokaba Sports Complex in Polokwane and the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

The existing four receiving minor facelifts for 2010 are Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, Ellis Park in Johannesburg, the Royal Bafokeng stadium in Rustenburg and Vodacom Park in Bloemfontein.

The second phase, Project Implementation, began in January this year. It involves the implementation of all the 2010 FIFA World Cup projects.

It is during this phase - in 2009, to be precise - that South Africa will host the Confederations Cup, the test-run for 2010. It will be staged in Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein, Johannesburg, Pretoria and Rustenburg from 14 to 27 June 2009.

Between 2007 and 2009, all the infrastructure and services needed for the Confederations Cup and then the World Cup will be delivered. Operational plans, such as those for safety and security, are already being tested during big sporting events.

A key milestone will be reached next September with the arrival of the FIFA inspection team for their review of the state of readiness construction on the selected stadiums to be used for the Confederations Cup.

These stadiums include the Nelson Mandela Bay stadium where seating will be completed in the next few months and the entire stadium is scheduled for completion in December 2008.

The third phase, World Cup operations, is the culmination of work done in the first two phases.

This is the phase in which the World Cup operations take place which include the adding of final touches to the stadiums and all related infrastructure and the final recruitment and training of the 15 000 volunteers needed for the event.

These thousands of volunteers will be required to have skills or be trained to carry out tasks ranging from being team liaison officers and medical assistants, to logistics, marketing, transport, translations and marshalling.

The world cup is expected to create an additional 600 jobs for South Africans.

October 2009 will mark the handover of all stadiums to FIFA as well as the completion of all supporting infrastructure before the World Cup commences in June 2010. -
 
 BuaNews




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