FIFA has warned that as the euphoria of hosting the 2010 World Cup reaches a crescendo, so are the chances of becoming a victim in a plethora of scams.
The Sunday World reports that FIFA and the 2010 World Cup’s LOC say they have been alerted to a growing number of e-mails and scams claiming to be associated or linked to them. FIFA has issued a strong warning to businesses, soccer fans, potential tourists and the public to be careful when dealing with e-mails or news of surprise winnings delivered via SMSes.
South Africa is in danger of becoming a major hub for drug trafficking, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said. There was also a danger the 2010 World Cup would worsen drug trafficking. During the tournament, law enforcement and customs officials would be under pressure owing to massive tourist inflows. ’We are aware that it is going to be a big problem for us,’ said Central Drug Authority deputy chairperson David Bayever. He described trafficking cartels as ’well-researched guys that know where the loopholes are’. Despite these threats, South Africa’s drug problem remained primarily a domestic one, with alcohol and dagga use being well above global averages.
A legal stand-off between Vredefort Dome community members and the government has taken hold after the latter insisted that the area would be registered as a World Heritage site before the start of the 2010 World Cup. Volksblad reports that deputy DG in the Department of Environmental Affairs, Fundisile Mkenti, told landowners in the dome that the proclamation was imminent. Unesco identified the dome as a heritage site in 2005. Members of the community are split over whether development should be allowed.
Bomb scare photographer back in court - 26/02/2010
It was unclear if retired German photo-journalist Berndt Jurgen Fischer would be prosecuted for allegedly telling Cape Town police he had a bomb with him. Prosecutor Gail October told the city’s Magistrate’s Court that the director of public prosecutions (DPP) had still not made a decision on the matter. Fischer, 68, made his third appearance in court and at defence attorney Cornι Stander’s request, Magistrate Vusi Mhlanga postponed the case to March 18. According to a report on the News24 site, Fischer allegedly told police at the access-control centre of the Cape Town International Convention Centre in December last year that his camera contained a bomb.
South Africa’s hosting of the 2010 World Cup has fast-tracked the delivery of infrastructure, says LOC communications chief Rich Mkhondo. ’A lot of bricks and mortar have been used over the past five years. At the moment, there is a lot of pain because of the construction that is going on to upgrade our infrastructure so that, when the tournament begins, it will be smooth sailing,’ Mkhondo says. Engineering News reports that he adds that the country has built six new stadiums and refurbished four others, which were used for the 2009 Confederations Cup.
Gauteng has set up special measures to ensure that the Liquor Board awards licenses in time for the 2010 World Cup. ’Part of the strategy is to focus on limiting trading in the vicinity of schools, places of worship and irresponsible trading in dense residential areas,’ Economic Development MEC Firoz Cachalia said. Cachalia said the Board will also address backlogs in licensing, improve revenue collections and eliminate fraud and illegal licenses.
The South African Football Association (Safa) is to launch a nationwide campaign to print the national emblem onto all Bafana Bafana replica jerseys that have been sold without one. According to a report on the IOL site, fake Bafana shirts with the Protea emblem are being sold from R180 to R500 on the streets while the authentic replica jersey without the emblem costs R599.
The exact replica jersey costs R1 500.
There is much confusion among restaurants and bar owners since a proposed liquor policy for the 2010 World Cup has created the impression that they might have to pay R50 000 for a special liquor licence for the duration of the tournament. According to the wording of the proposal, it seems as though all ’public display areas’ which will show matches during the tournament while also selling alcohol will have to apply for the special liquor license at R50 000 per venue. According to a report on the News24 site, this would include bars, restaurants, movie theatres, stadia, open spaces, offices, building sites, oil rigs, boats or ships, buses, trains, educational institutions and hospitals.
Any pub, restaurant, hotel or university wanting to screen 2010 World Cup games and sell liquor at the same time could first have to fork out R50 000 for a special liquor licence, notes a Pretoria News report. This is according to draft legislation gazetted by the Department of Trade and Industry on January 18. According to the ’2010 Soccer World Cup Liquor Policy’ any ’public viewing event’ where matches are broadcast to an audience - ’general public or otherwise’ - will need the special licence to sell alcohol.
Businesses and individuals caught using FIFA’s trademarks illegally face harsh penalties, including having to make substantial royalty payments and possible jail time. The football governing body is investigating more than 50 cases linked to the forthcoming 2010 World Cup. Owen Dean, from Spoor and Fisher, the legal firm that handles FIFA’s trademark affairs, said those who broke the rules would be shown no mercy.
Lawyer warns of action from vuvezela victims - 14/02/2010
The LOC, FIFA and stadium management could face damage claims if they fail to warn or protect football fans from the potential harmful effects of vuvuzelas, according to a lawyer quoted in a report in The Mercury. It says a University of Pretoria study has established that just brief exposure at close range could cause permanent hearing loss or tinnitus, constant ringing in the ear.
FIFA has once again successfully stopped another trader from use of its 2010 World Cup official marks, according to Likonelo Magagula. This second successful attack was against Metcash Trading (Pty) Ltd for its use of the words 2010 with depictions of the South African Flag and of soccer imagery in relation to its lollipops, notes a Marketing Web report. The first victory was against Eastwoods Tavern for its use of the words ’World Cup 2010’ on its signage.
People who threaten to disrupt the much awaited 2010 World Cup in June will face the full might of the law, said Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa. ’Any criminal or would-be-criminal who threatens the safety of the World Cup will meet the full might of the force.’ He said a number of groups and protesters had used the tournament to bargain for their demands.
Mthethwa said a group of reservists who marched in Port Elizabeth last week had threatened to make the make the 2010 World Cup ungovernable if their demands were not met.
Durban street traders have been warned not to engage in ambush marketing during the 2010 World Cup or else they could face possible fines. During a public meeting between the eThekwini Municipality and street traders held at the city hall to discuss 2010 FIFA by-laws, other issues that were highlighted included illegal forms of advertising and prohibited trading areas. Malusi Mhlongo, a lawyer for the city, said street traders would continue to trade as normal during the match days at their permanent trading premises.
Night courts to deal with 2010 offences - 03/02/2010
Four special night courts will operate in Cape Town during the 2010 World Cup to deal with crimes related to the soccer extravaganza. The courtrooms at the Bellville and Khayelitsha magistrate’s courts and two courtrooms at Cape Town Regional Court will be open from 7.45pm until 11pm, notes a Cape Argus report. Justice Department spokesman Tlali Tlali said the intention of the special courts was to avoid burdening the existing court rolls with tournament cases.
The ’vuvuzela’ cannot be owned by anyone - 29/01/2010
The trademark vuvuzela has become generic and no single party will be able to claim ownership of the name when referring to the ’musical instrument’, says Carl van Rooyen, a partner at Spoor & Fisher, in a report on the Polity site. He says on the historical side, Freddie Maake, a fanatical Kaizer Chiefs supporter, claims he was the first person to create a vuvuzela and that in 1999, with the assistance of Peter Rice, he produced a plastic version of the vuvuzela. Then Neil van Schalkwyk, a director of Masincedane Sports, which has been manufacturing plastic vuvuzelas since 2001, is also claiming rights.
Police and e.tv agree on alternative subpoena 26/01/2010
The subpoena hearing of eNews journalists Mpho Lakaje and Ben Said was postponed in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court by agreement so an alternative process could be used to resolve the channel’s standoff with the police. Business Day reports that the television channel got into hot water with the police after broadcasting an interview with two self- confessed criminals, one of whom threatened to rob tourists during the 2010 World Cup. Following the interview, Lakaje and Said were subpoenaed, in terms of section 205 of the Criminal Procedure Act, to disclose the identities of the criminals and deliver the unedited footage of the interviews.
ETV has until Thursday to make representations to the national
director of public prosecutions regarding subpoenas issued against
two of its journalists, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said
on Monday. ’They have to consult the national director to raise their
concerns regarding the subpoenas ... so the case has been put on hold
until the director addresses their concerns. We’ll allow that process
to unfold and take it from there,’ said NPA spokesperson Mthunzi
Mhaga. According to a Mail & Guardian report, he was addressing
journalists outside the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court shortly after
it was announced that the e.tv journalists would not appear in court
as their case had been postponed indefinitely. The case was postponed
to allow for mediation between e.tv lawyers, the SA National Editors’
Forum (Sanef), the state and the South African Police Service.
Vuvuzela rights claims are ’hot air’ lawyer 23/01/2010
The recent dispute over the legal rights to the vuvuzela which involves, among others, a well-known church group, an eccentric soccer fan and a product manufacturer is a load of ’hot air’. This is according to Likonelo Magagula, an intellectual property attorney at Deneys Reitz, who told the Weekend Witness that the word ’vuvuzela’ or the vuvuzela shape cannot function as a trademark which is essentially a brand name. ’The vuvuzela is the common name used for the metre-long horn blown at soccer matches by fans. The word ’vuvuzela’, or the vuvuzela shape for that matter, cannot function as a trademark, as both the word and the shape thereof lack the capacity to differentiate between vuvuzelas emanating from different undertakings,’ Magagula said.
Counterfeit Bafana-Bafana merchandise worth around R30m has been seized at the OR Tambo International airport in the past three months, said the SA Revenue Services (SARS) Customs on Saturday. According to a report on the News24 site, consignments of fake Bafana-Bafana T-shirts, tracksuits, caps and other merchandise relating to the 2010 soccer World Cup were being brought into the country from Asian countries by those hoping to cash in on the World Cup, said spokesperson Sibabalwenathi Mfabe.
The case against Rustenburg 2010 World Cup co-ordinator Nketu Matima was withdrawn by the State in the Rustenburg Magistrate’s Court this week, North West police said. Matima was arrested in October last year on fraud charges stemming from the use of a Rustenburg local municipality car, an Opel Astra, without consent. He reported that the car had burnt out and produced photographs, apparently of the wreck, which was never found, notes a News24 report. He was charged with perjury, theft, fraud and defeating the ends of justice and released on R1 000 bail.
An Angolan human rights lawyer said that police are rounding up peaceful activists and accusing them of responsibility in a deadly attack on the Togo national soccer team’s bus as it headed to the African Cup of Nations tournament. According to a report on the News24 site, Martinho Nombo said that the five people arrested over the last week were not related to the separatist group that has claimed responsibility for the 8 January attack that killed three people and wounded eight. Authorities already had arrested two members of the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC). ’But the five others that have been arrested have nothing to do with FLEC,’ Nombo said. ’They are just intellectuals that are expressing opinions the government doesn’t share. And as soon as somebody criticizes the government, he is tagged as a FLEC member.’
eTV has announced one of its reporters and news editor have been served with a subpoena relating to the recent airing of a controversial story featuring two self-confessed criminals. According to a report on the iafrica.com site, the item drew criticism from Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa and Police Chief Bheki Cele, who labelled the piece sensational. It featured two criminals outlining their intentions to rob and murder people during the upcoming FIFA World Cup. eTV Group Editor Ben Said said the section 205 subpoena was under discussion.
Application to ban vuvuzelas from the WC - 17/01/2010
The Nazareth Baptist Church ("Shembe Church") one of the oldest in Africa with a membership of around a million, are instructing attorneys to seek an interdict to prevent people from blowing vuvuzelas at this year’s World Cup. They allege that during the 1990s a Kaizer Chiefs fanvisited the church and stole the idea from them. Unable to remove their long metal trumpet he redid it in plastic and the rest is - a somewhat noisy - history. We are very serious about this. Before the World Cup we are going to instruct our lawyers to stop them playing the vuvuzela at the World Cup,’ says Shembe spokesman Enoch Mthembu.
The SA Football Association and its former chief executive, Raymond Hack, says Hack was not ’fired’ but left his job voluntarily. In a letter to The Times, Safa and Hack said: ’These statements [that Hack was axed] are quite simply untrue.’ Hack, criticised for failing to take action over Bafana Bafana’s string of dismal performances in the past six years, was fired (or resigned) on Wednesday. But, in their letter, Safa and Hack yesterday denied that there was any ill feeling or dispute surrounding Hack’s ’departure’, which they say was discussed as early as last month.
A Durban family is planning to sue the city for more than half a million rand for demolishing its home and tavern next to the new entrance to Umlazi’s King Zwelithini Stadium, which is undergoing an upgrade for the 2010 World Cup. Speaking amid the rubble of the tavern, Mandla Obabamkhulu, adjacent to Mangosuthu Highway , Ntombifuthi Bhengu, 46, said she had given birth to her six children on the property. According to a report on the IOL site, the Bhengus’ attorney, Nathi Ngcobo, said the land on which the head of the household, Bhekathina, 50, had traded and lived for 30 years now belonged to Passenger Rail SA.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions in Limpopo has demanded that hawkers not be removed from their places of trade during the 2010 Fifa World Cup. Limpopo secretary Dan Sebabi said Cosatu, along with other lobby groups and the South African Municipal Workers Union, were busy organising hawkers in Polokwane to ensure that their strategic place in the city’s economic activities was not undermined during the soccer spectacle next year. ’We have already had several preparatory meetings with hawkers and our partners, and we will be officially launching the initiative early next year.’
The government has compromised existing contractual relationship in its deal with Fifa for the right to stage next years World Cup. According to Sake24, the agreement will lead to a breach of contract for outdoor advertisers. In terms of the agreement, municipal regulations in the host cities will ban outdoor advertising in several zones. Les Holley, of Out of Home Media SA, said the regulations would force its members to break contracts, as they had entered into agreements of at least one year, or, more commonly, five years with outdoor advertisers. Holley also said it was not clear who would pay for the removal and re-installation of the advertisements.
The rigorous process of identifying the 15 000 volunteers needed for the 2010 World Cup is just weeks away, notes a Cape Argus report. While most South Africans will be relaxing over the holidays, the 2010 Organising Committee and the more than 37 000 shortlisted volunteers will be hard at work. The selection process begins in earnest next month, said committee spokesperson Rich Mkhondo. Volunteers would be selected from a shortlist of 37 080 people, who were pre-selected from 64 500 initial applications from South Africa and abroad.
Minstrels threatens City with legal action - 16/12/2009
The moratorium on any non-football events at the Athlone Stadium ahead of the 2010 World Cup is likely to see the City taken to court by the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association this week. After decades of using the stadium as a venue for the traditional annual Cape minstrel competition, the city this year has refused permission for its use because they are worried about the grass on the pitch being damaged. While it won’t host any World Cup matches, the Athlone Stadium is to be used as a training venue, notes an allAfrica.com report. The Minstrel carnival, known as the Kaapse Klopse, is a traditional parade of over 10 000 colourfully dressed minstrels who march through the city on January 2.
