The economic meltdown is affecting media companies throughout the world including South Africa. ’The crisis has left no sector untouched, ours included. It has weakened the advertising markets and beaten down our share price,’ said Rupert Murdoch, CE of News Corp, The Media Online notes that most media companies however, are still positive that the 2010 World Cup will bring relief to the markets. ’In 2010 there will be a huge hike in media spend for the FIFA World Cup because prices on TV and radio will be premium at that time. However, we will move backwards after the World Cup. We won’t be able to sustain those rates,’ said Strini Naicker, acting group executive: commercial enterprise at the SABC.
Johannesburg’s biggest shopping mall, Sandton City, wants to attract an even larger chunk of the country’s R10.5bn annual cross-border trade - with plans for a R1.7-billion expansion for the landmark centre. Liberty Property Development said that the refurbishment would create additional retail space for new top-end retailers and stores. The Times reports that CE Caswell Rampheri described the refurbishment and expansion as an ’exciting project’. While the first phase is scheduled for completion in April 2011 - with 95% of construction completed in time for the 2010 World Cup - the second phase will include the development of residential apartments and an office tower on the corner of Fifth Street and Rivonia Road.
Far away in Japan - where the upheavals in the financial markets have, like everywhere in Asia, sparked panic - South Africa’s capacity to stage a glitch-free 2010 World Cup came under the spotlight. According to a Security.co.za report, the conference, entitled Fulfilling the 2010 South African World Cup: Learning from the 2002 Korea/Japan Experience, was organised by the South African embassy in Japan in collaboration with Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, which boasts a cosmopolitan student population, including those from South Africa. Despite Japan being South Africa’s fourth-biggest trading partner, many residents are still wary of visiting the country because of the perceived high crime levels.
Five of the six stadiums that are being built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup are on track for completion ahead of the deadlines given to the LOC by FIFA. Engineering News reports that former LOC chief communications officer Tim Modise reports that the civils contractors working on the stadiums have assured the LOC that the work on the stadiums is well ahead of schedule. Chief civils contractor at Soccer City stadium, in Johannesburg, Grinaker-LTA has indicated that the venue, which will host the opening match of the tournament, four additional first-round matches, one match in the round of 16, one quarter final, and the final on July 11, 2010, will be completed between May and June 2009.
Diversified consulting engineering company SSI, part of the DHV group of companies, has capitalised on the opportunities presented by the 2010 World Cup. SSI group communications manager Robin Hayes reports that the company has received orders for projects at the Nelson Mandela stadium in Port Elizabeth, the Orlando Stadium in Soweto, and the Umhlathuze Stadium in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal. Engineering News reports that SSI is one of three consulting companies that will be responsible for electrical installations at the stadium and its role will be to provide detailed design and construction supervision relating to floodlighting for the main arena, practice pitch lighting, external lighting and decorative lighting for the stadium and surrounding area.
Telkom has upped its budget for the 2010 World Cup finals to R900m. The money is being spent on augmenting the national network provider’s next-generation network (NGN), which will reach all 10 stadiums for the tournament. ’R900m is the guiding budget we gave government when we were approached to provide the telecommunications infrastructure,’ says Telkom multinational accounts group executive Thami Magazi. ITWeb reports that he adds that government and Telkom contributed to the expenditure. The budget is going towards providing an end-to-end service and performance management, dual functioning lines that will offer 20GBps live and 20GBps redundancy, and a network that is 99.99% available with no single point of failure.
Bloemfontein, the City of Roses, is looking even more cheerful these days. The city’s cooling towers are receiving a facelift and will soon be covered in vibrant home-grown artwork, courtesy of FNB, one of the country’s major banking groups. FNB is a major sponsor of the 2010 World Cup, and in line with its sponsorship of the much-anticipated event, is transforming the skyline of one of the host cities. According to a Media Club report, two of the four towers, which belong to a currently decommissioned power station, will carry FNB’ s 2010 World Cup branding. The other two will take on a bright and colourful depiction of the area’s heritage and are expected to become a source of community pride.
