South Africa 2010: Africa’s Time has come! South Africa is Ready!

In 2004 FIFA made a historic decision to stage the 2010 Football World Cup on the African Continent.
Since the very beginning of the process that will ultimately bring the FIFA World Cup to South Africa in 2010, the emphasis has been on making it an African event, one that will help spread confidence and prosperity across the entire African Continent.
The announcement in 2004 that the 2010 World Cup would be staged in South Africa was followed by massive celebrations throughout the African Continent.
As the host of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, South Africa stands not as a country alone – but rather as a representative of Africa and as part of an African family of nations.
From the beginning of the bid process South Africa committed that the 2010 World Cup would be an African World Cup. The bid book proclaimed: “Africa’s time has come, and South Africa is ready”.
In a letter to FIFA President Sepp Blatter contained in South Africa’s Bid Book, released in 2003, President Thabo Mbeki emphasised that the foundation of the country’s bid for the tournament was “a resolve to ensure that the 21st century unfolds as a century of growth and development in Africa”.

1. Financing

As part of ensuring that South Africa does really indeed host an excellent 2010 FIFA World Cup the Government of South Africa has committed itself to the investment in infrastructure, logistics, communications and security that will be needed to ensure that Africa’s first FIFA World Cup is a resounding success.
South Africa’s Budget for 2007/08 was presented to Parliament by Finance Minister Trevor Manuel in February 2007. It updates the approach to the World Cup set out in the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement of 2006 which details the Government’s investment in 2010.
The Government’s total contribution to infrastructure and stadiums stands at R17.4 billion. Of this:

• R9 billion will go towards transport and supporting infrastructure
• R8,4 billion will pay for building five stadiums and upgrading another five

But it’s not only World Cup infrastructure projects that will receive funding: the Budget also provides for non-infrastructure projects – such as sports and recreation programmes, arts and culture programmes, policing and emergency medical services.
Funding from the national government will be supplemented by contributions from provincial government, local government and other partners.
The Government’s R17,4 billion direct investment in the World Cup is part of a much larger spending programme between 2006 and 2010. During that time, the Government will be investing more than R400 billion in the country's infrastructure – from rail freight services and energy production, to communications, airports and ports of entry.
The following provides a portion on how South African Government plans to spend on non-infrastructure activities related to 2010 FIFA World Cup:

Sport and recreation

• R25 million for the preparation of volunteers for the World Cup, including screening, training, accreditation and deployment of volunteers in June 2010
• R17 million for multi-sport code festivals and other recreation events, such as a street-football programme, that will mobilise communities and create awareness of and enthusiasm for the World Cup
• R337 million for Leaving a Legacy projects, which will focus on a sports club support programme, capacity building and placement in Sport Federations, development programmes at grassroots level, talent identification and coach development

Arts and culture

• R150 million for the World Cup opening and closing ceremonies and funding to the arts and culture sector. Revitalisation of community art centres will help the sector take advantage of increased tourism leading up to and during the event.

Health

• Emergency medical services in the provinces have been funded as part of the Provincial Equitable Share. Upgrading these services for the World Cup will leave an important legacy.

Safety and security

• R666 million will fund CCTV cameras, national and local command and control centres, radio communication technology and helicopters, and will also cover the employment and training of police officers. About 31 000 police officials will be deployed to ensure security in June and July of 2010.

Telecommunications

• Funding will be provided in the 2008 medium-term framework for communications specifically for the World Cup.

2. Planning

Preparations are well under way, with the bulk of the work taking place in the nine host cities
The Government is tackling this work in three phases that correspond with the timeline for 2010.
Crucial milestones in the preparations timeline are:

• December 2006: Stadiums and transport infrastructure planning complete
• January 2007: New stadia and supporting infrastructure construction commences
• September 2008: FIFA inspection team reviews state of readiness
• December 2008: Construction work on selected stadiums complete
• June 2009: South Africa hosts Confederations Cup
• October 2009 - Handover of all stadiums to FIFA; supporting infrastructure complete
• June 2010: FIFA World Cup

The Government is tackling preparations for the tournament in three phases:

• phase 1 (compliance: 2005 – 2006)
• phase 2 (project implementation: 2007 – 2009)
• phase 3 – (World Cup operations: 2010)

Phase 1 (Compliance: 2005 – 2006)

The first phase was completed in December 2006. It puts in place the framework and resources South Africa needed to fully comply with FIFA requirements.
This phase involved the selection of host cities and stadia. Host city agreements were signed; these are contracts between host cities and FIFA to govern cities’ obligations and rights in hosting the World Cup. Legislative was also adopted to deliver the guarantees required.
Across the Government, extensive strategic and project planning culminated in the submission of project plans to the National Treasury. 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.

Phase 2 (Project implementation: 2007 – 2009)

The second phase began in January 2007. 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. 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, will be tested.
A key milestone will be reached in 2008, when FIFA inspects South Africa for readiness.

Phase 3 (World Cup operations-2010)

The third phase, the culmination of work done in the first two phases, runs from 1 January 2010 until 30 July 2010. This is the phase in which the World Cup operations take place.
In the post-tournament phase, the government will review the tournament and its impact

3. Impact of hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup

What the South African Government aims for in having South Africa host the 2010 World Cup – and the reason that it is funding the infrastructure development the event demands – coincides with its priorities of economic growth and development. Aside from that, hosting the event will leave a lasting legacy, not just for this country but for Africa too.
The hosting of the 2010 World Cup will be a catalyst for faster economic growth and the achievement of development goals.
South Africa has already met some of the Millennium Development Goals for 2014 set by the United Nations in 2000 and is well on its way to meeting others. But being the 2010 WC hosts, this will give the country a significant boost towards its target growth rate of at least 6% by 2010.
The timing of the World Cup is significant for South Africa – as it coincides nicely with the maturing of key government interventions such as the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA).
Growth was about 3% during the first decade of freedom, from 1994 to 2004 – a considerable improvement on the decade before 1994, when it averaged 1% a year. Since 2004, growth has exceeded 4% per year, reaching about 5% in 2005 and 2006.
However, the growth rate needed for the Government to achieve its social objectives is around 5% on average between 2004 and 2014. The plan is to achieve this in two phases. In the first phase, between 2005 and 2009, the target is an annual growth rate of 4,5% or higher. In the second phase, between 2010 and 2014, the aim is an average growth rate of at least 6% of gross domestic product (GDP).
In addition, the Government aims to ensure that the fruits of growth are shared in such a way that poverty and unemployment are halved by 2014, and that the severe inequalities that remain a challenge to the country are further reduced.
Part of the way in which the Government will ensure the World Cup contributes to the country’s growth and development goals is by making sure that hosting this tournament brings opportunities that can be accessed by South Africans, in a way that will empower those who were systematically excluded from participation in the economy under apartheid.

4. Host Cities

The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be staged at 10 venues across nine South African cities – Johannesburg (Gauteng Province), Cape Town (Western Cape Province), Durban (KwaZulu-Natal Province), Port Elizabeth (Eastern Cape), Nelspruit (Mpumalanga Province), Polokwane (Limpopo Province), Bloemfontein (Free State Province), Rustenburg (North West Province) and Pretoria (Gauteng Province).

5. Structures

Hosting football’s showpiece event clearly demands a huge amount of organisation. Since the announcement in 2004 that South Africa had won the bid to stage the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the needed structures have been put in place to deliver a tournament that is a resounding success.

• Various government organs have been formed to oversee 2010 preparations – namely the Inter-Ministerial Committee, the Technical Coordinating Committee and a 2010 Project Management Unit within the Department of Sports and Recreation.
• The Local Organising Committee (LOC) unites South African football administrators, the Government and representatives of business and labour.
• Finally, the Host Cities Forum brings together the Government and the LOC in managing the host cities’ preparations.

6. Important Links and Contact details

6.1       Host Cities

6.2 Organising Structures

For more information please contact:

• Mr Mziwanele Langa and Ms Laura Wilson
  Tel: +54 11 4317 2900
  Email:info.argentina@foreign.gov.za

Source: South Africa 2010 - http://www.sa2010.gov.za