South Africa Ready for World Cup
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
South Africa is ready to host this year's World Cup, said a top official, countering what she described as "known and unknown sources that are hell-bent" on sullying the nation's image ahead of the massive sporting event.
Nomvula Paula Mokonyane, the premier of South Africa's powerful Gauteng province, rejected recent criticisms of South Africa, saying that negative reports about its readiness for the World Cup came from opposition politicians as well as journalists inside and outside the country. These people fail to recognize the progress that has put South Africa on par with previous hosts, according to the government official.
"Who is besmirching South Africa? We've got a number of South Africans doing that," she told a group of foreign reporters Tuesday. "We think we're on a world standard, like other places."
With only 79 days to go, South Africa is racing to ensure a smooth World Cup and allay concerns that could scare off soccer fans and tourists.
The monthlong event, to be held at venues around the country, is the first time an African nation has hosted the world soccer championship. But South Africa is struggling to complete roads and venues on time; set aside sufficient electricity for stadiums; tamp down violent crime and minimize potential terrorism threats.
Meanwhile, the Gauteng government is also dealing with disruptive protests over the lack of water and power in some outlying areas as well as strikes and shootings by informal mini-bus operators who oppose a new high-speed bus system. "We aren't concerned about protests— we are living in a vibrant multi-racial democracy," said Ms. Mokonyane. "The concern is when protests are accompanied by violence."
Coupled with the global economic downturn, such concerns pose challenges to ticket sales. After three of five sales phases, about two-thirds of the available tickets for the World Cup have been sold, according to global soccer body FIFA. Officials at FIFA have repeatedly expressed confidence in its World Cup host.
"Now it is time for the whole world to put its trust in South Africa's ability to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup," the organization's president, Joseph S. Blatter, said earlier this month.
The capital of Gauteng, Johannesburg, will be front-and-center during the World Cup. The city will host the opening and closing ceremonies as well as the first game June 11 and the championship July 11. It will also serve as the main point of entry for foreign tourists arriving in South Africa for the World Cup.
Gauteng province is home to mining conglomerates and banks, and accounts for about two-thirds of South Africa's economic output—as well as one tenth of Africa's total. Some government critics say the predominant role South African business plays in the country improves the prospects for a successful World Cup. The event's sponsors, building contractors and hotel operators are largely private and unburdened by government's problems with efficiency, says Moeletsi Mbeki, a businessman, author and the brother of former president Thabo Mbeki.
"The South African World Cup will be delivered by the private sector," he said.
Ms. Mokonyane, Gauteng's top official, said her government has assumed a central role in World Cup preparation. She's been fielding requests from backpacker groups eager to travel the country and Christian evangelists eager to speak to large crowds of soccer fans. She said the province has shown it can stage global sporting events in rugby and cricket, and isn't daunted by what awaits with the largest of them all: the World Cup.
"We sound very ambitious, but that's because we are a very ambitious nation," she said.
Write to Peter Wonacott at peter.wonacott@wsj.com
Labels: South Africa, World Cup
posted @ 9:51 PM,
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