| PSL security guards in the spotlight - 17/08/2008 |
Masked kwaito star Bleksem underwent an hour- long operation this week to reconstruct his damaged nose after being brutally assaulted by PSL security guards. Bleksem was allegedly attacked unprovoked by the guards during the Telkom Charity Cup bonanza at Mmabatho Stadium in Mafikeng a fortnight ago. Sunday World reports that Bleksem’s manager Given Ngwenya says his artist was taken to the Flora Clinic for treatment a day after the assault. ’The doctor says his nose was damaged in three different places. It is sad that this incident occurs as the country is preparing for the World Cup in 2010,’ said Ngwenya. ’If the guys could beat up an artist so badly in front of 50 000 spectators, and media cameras, what could have happened if the guy was there alone and the stadium was empty?’ he says.
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Full Sunday World report
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| Acsa clamps down on baggage pilfering - 16/08/2008 |
There was a sharp reduction in baggage pilfering at OR Tambo International Airport after new ramp handlers were employed, Airports Company SA (Acsa) said. Acsa operations director Bongani Maseko said, ’Prior to changing the ramp handling company, we had 24-34 bags tampered with per day at OR Tambo - but now it ranges from 6-8 bags,’ he said. According to a SA Good News report, the airport handled 24 000 bags each day, and R250 000 was being spent per month on baggage protection for OR Tambo. Addressing security issues, he said Acsa worked closely with the SA police. ACSA’s Chairman Franklin Sonn said that his management team and staff were ready for the influx of tourists expected in 2010 for the World cup. ’Our infrastructure delivery programme is on track and our airports will be ready to host visitors during the 2010 World Cup and beyond,’ he said.
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Full SA Good News report
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| Community supports Take Charge Campaign - 16/08/2008 |
Hundreds of stakeholders turned up in large numbers for Gauteng’s two-day Sector Review Summit for the Province’s anti-crime Take Charge Campaign. Launched last March, the Take Charge Campaign is aimed at uniting ’all communities from all backgrounds across Gauteng in the fight against crime and to improve the safety of neighbourhoods.’ BuaNews reports that the campaign was a social movement against crime which depended on a large scale community volunteer programme for its success. Community Safety MEC, Firoz Cachalia, said training for Community Policing Forum volunteers was necessary, especially those who will be deployed during next year’s Confederations Cup and 2010 World Cup. The presence of heavily armed police during these events would not create the ’right atmosphere’ for the events.
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Full BuaNews report
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| Organisers urged to focus on 2010 VIPs - 14/08/2008 |
Foreign soccer hooligans are a bunch of ’pansies’, and criminals obviously do not read newspapers. As for terrorists - they could very well be in the VIP boxes come the World Cup in 2010. The Star reports that Deputy Finance Minister Jabu Moleketi presented a progress report at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Wednesday which showed SA was well on track to meeting its deadlines, many of them well ahead of time, in preparing for the Confederations Cup in June next year, and the World Cup starting in June 2010. On cue, SA’s burgeoning crime problem was raised with SAPS Deputy National Commissioner Andre Pruis, on hand to answer the sticky questions of international criminals and terrorists, who he describes as ’a dynamic list’. ’A person currently on your list of undesirables and hooligans could be in your VIP box come 2010,’ joked Pruis.
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Full report in The Star
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| Police analyse syndicates ahead of 2010 - 13/08/2008 |
Intelligence reports show no criminal syndicates are focusing specifically on the 2010 World Cup, says deputy national police commissioner André Pruis. Pruis said that the police services were analysing syndicates on a day-to-day basis, especially those which ’may’ get involved in crime related to the World Cup. FIN24 reports that a general safety and security plan for the event has also been submitted to FIFA. Furthermore, the police, departments of justice and correctional services have also thrashed out a plan for the possible arrest, court appearance and brief detention of offenders during match days. The fan parks committee has also been set up and will work closely with the police says Pruis, who added that provincial safety and security summits would be held.
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Full FIN24 report
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| Police prepared for 2010 - 07/08/2008 |
South Africa’s security forces and government agencies are ready to address cross-border crime during the 2010 World Cup. ’We are very mindful of cross-border crime. We are looking at it in a multi-integrated way strategically,’ said Free State police head, Commissioner Amon Mashigo. He was speaking during a simulation exercise by South African special security forces, forcing down a possible terrorist plane, at the Tempe airport outside Bloemfontein. According to a report on the IoL site, Mashigo said the country was ready and had a strategy in place to address any illegal influx into South Africa. He said the problem would not be addressed by only one government department but by various departments.
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Full report on the IoL site
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| ’Exercise Shield’ moves to Bloemfontein - 02/08/2008 |
’Exercise Shield’, a joint exercise between the South African Police Service, the SANDF and other agencies and Government departments will take place around Bloemfontein between 3 August and 9 August 2008. The exercise is aimed at honing our security-related skills to ensure a safe environment in host cities during major events, including securing the national airspace and other strategic key points. Some of the most elite members and units within the security forces will engage in simulated scenarios and enact certain aspects of our emergency contingency plans in order to neutralise any form of airborne and land-borne threat. This operation is considered to be an excellent training opportunity for the security personnel to be deployed during the 2010 World Cup.
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Full press release
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| Segways in the pipeline for 2010 - 29/07/2008 |
It is the latest equipment in security technology that is fun, easy to manoeuvre, is environmentally friendly and can improve response time. It is called the Segway Personal Transporter (PT), a two-wheel, battery-operated transporter with various uses, but which is firmly rooted in the private security sector. Jonathan Cohen, Segway SA managing director, said because of its size, the PT fitted into a pedestrian environment, and the fact that the PT gave a person an extra 20cm in height meant it was ideal for crowd and stadium control. The Star reports that a fleet of 150 Segway PTs will be used at the Beijing Olympic Games next month, and Cohen said they had big plans to revamp the unit and up security for the 2010 World Cup by installing built-in cameras sending live footage to control rooms.
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| Concerns for 2010 fans - 28/07/2008 |
South Africa’s 2010 chief security officer has warned of the possible security nightmare that local officials will face and has urged them to restrict the number of fan festivals. With Durban enjoying a warm winter compared with other host cities such as Johannesburg and Cape Town, soccer fans are expected to flock to Durban, making organising security extremely difficult. Speaking during the 2010 security summit in Durban at the weekend, Linda Mti warned the city and the KwaZulu-Natal government to prepare for an influx of people. The Daily News reports that Mti said it was envisaged that more than 20m people would watch World Cup games at fan parks throughout the country. ’We ask Durban to consider having fewer fan parks so that it will be easier for us to organise security. Please do not stretch our security by having too many fan parks,’ he said.
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Full Daily News report
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| Major WC military exercise underway - 28/07/2008 |
A major military exercise began in Port Elizabeth on Sunday to assist government with security preparations for the 2010 World Cup. South African Police Services (SAPS) Communications Director Sally de Beer said ’Exercise Shield’, a joint operation between the SAPS, the SANDF and other agencies will take place around the city’s stadium until next Sunday. The Civil Aviation Authority has already issued an Aeronautical Information Publication which restricts – but does not ban – flights within 40 nautical miles of the city’s airport. ’There will be a great deal of activity in the area with a number of uniformed members, vehicles, aircraft and vessels in and around the city, it’s airport and harbour,’ she said. A similar exercise was held in Cape Town in May.
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Full report on the Project 2010 site
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| Bailey issues 2010 crime warning - 26/07/2008 |
South African soccer icon and former Manchester United and Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Gary Bailey has said the major hurdle to South Africa hosting a successful 2010 World Cup was not infrastructure or stadiums or even Eskom’s shaky power supply but almost exclusively crime. Bailey, who is a respected figure in South African soccer and a Supersport TV presenter, said: ’We will have world-class stadiums, the right transport infrastructure and I’m sure the issue of power and electricity won’t be a problem despite the cut-outs we’ve suffered in the last couple of years. But crime is a different matter. It’s a major problem and we can’t ignore it. We have to tackle it right now, not three months before the World Cup. Otherwise, fans from around the world aren’t going to come to South Africa, which would be a tragedy.’
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Full report on the IoL site
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| ’Zero tolerance’ approach for 2010 - 25/07/2008 |
Urinating in public during the 2010 World Cup will meet with ’zero tolerance’ in Durban. Though it is an offence in terms of the city’s bylaws, this bylaw is not properly enforced, according to Durban metro police spokesman Superintendent Thomas Tyala. But the more than 500 policemen who will patrol the city’s streets in 2010 will arrest anyone who urinates in a public area, he said. The Times reports that about 140 constables were being trained for the soccer tournament and at least 400 more would be deployed, he said. The eThekwini council plans to pass stringent bylaws to control advertising, unacceptable behaviour and informal trading for the duration of the World Cup. The new bylaws, which will be released for public comment ,also target people who use pavements as toilets.
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Full report in The Times ?
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| 26 new officer in training - 24/07/2008 |
For the first time in seven years the City of Cape Town has employed a group of 26 new traffic officers who are now in training. Bush Radio News reports that Merle Lourens, Media Liason for Cape Traffic Services, says that the reason it has taken so long to employ traffic officials, is because a monotorium was set on employment while the department went through amalgamation with Metro Police. However, since August last year, the Traffic Service has been on their own. ’This will help with the shortage we are experiencing and there are so many points to cover. When we close roads for 2010, we are going to need all the help we can get,’ said Lourens. She added that employing officers will definitely help, especially with the 2010 World Cup just around the corner.
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Full Bush Radio News report
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| Corrupt cops could target 2010 tourists - 24/07/2008 |
Some members of South Africa’s poorly paid police force are vulnerable to corruption and could target tourists during the 2010 World Cup for bribes, the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) warned. According to a report on the IoL site, President Thabo Mbeki’s government has intensified efforts to combat crime ahead of the tournament, and official figures show murders, rapes and other violent crimes have dropped in the past year, although they remain high. But these gains could be eroded by corruption among police, who are not only lowly paid but also highly stressed in a country with one of the highest crime rates in the world, said Andrew Faull, an ISS researcher who specialises in police corruption. ’With 2010 around the corner, some senior metro police managers have expressed concern over a potential escalation in incidents of petty bribery - such as paying money to escape a traffic fine - hitting tourists.’
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Full report on the IoL site ?
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| Experts assess SA’s anti-terror capabilities - 23/07/2008 |
South African naval expert is ’not overly optimistic’ about local law-enforcement agencies making the country’s maritime borders and ports safe from terror attacks during the 2010 World Cup. According to a Mail & Guardian Online report, the Southern African region is one ’ripe’ for terrorist acts, the Institute for Maritime Technology’s Francois Hugo told delegates at the Maritime Security in Southern African Waters conference in Stellenbosch. South Africa itself, a major transportation hub, ’offers numerous potential targets for terrorist attacks’. Hugo warned there is a mindset in South Africa ’that terror is something that happens elsewhere, not here’. Possible maritime terror scenarios described by Hugo include attacks on passenger liners, or oil and gas tankers, either in port or on the approaches to a port.
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Full Mail & Guardian Online report
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| Man U disappoints fans - 22/07/2008 |
Manchester United arrived at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Umhlanga on Monday with an entourage fit for royalty. The Daily News reports that the tight security was not going to stop ardent fans from gathering outside the hotel to catch a glimpse of their heroes. In fact, they were quite impressed with all the security. Some praised local authorities for the manner in which they controlled the situation. ’I’m really impressed to see such good security because South Africa needs to prove to the world that we are capable of hosting the 2010 World Cup,’ said Xolani Ntuli. When the team arrived at Durban International Airport, they were full of smiles and waved at the hundreds of people welcoming them to Durban. However, fans outside the hotel, which is believed to be closed to the public for the next two days, were disappointed by the team’s brief appearance and lack of excitement. With disappointed looks on their faces, many of the children said they had been waiting for weeks for this moment, and it was not what they expected.
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Full Daily News report
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| Major security for Vodacom fixture - 22/07/2008 |
Heavy security will be in place for Tuesday night’s Vodacom Challenge clash between Manchester United and Orlando Pirates in Durban on Tuesday night. This after police made several arrests outside the Newlands Stadium before and after the opening fixture. ’While no serious incidents were recorded, we are still concerned that some spectators have ignored our warnings , particularly on the purchasing of tickets around the stadium on match day, which resulted in some people now facing the full brunt of the law,’ said Senior Superintendent Vishnu Naidoo. Police are using this tournament to continue enforcing the stringent measures to ensure ’absolute safety and security’ ahead of next year’s Confederations Cup and the 2010 World Cup.
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Full report on the Project 2010 site
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| Combating terrorism ahead of 2010 - 21/07/2008 |
Last month, a delegation of 15 anti-terrorism experts, representing international and regional organisations, visited South Africa. According to an ISS report, Ambassador Mike Smith, the executive director of the United Nations Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED), headed the delegation. Although this visit was scheduled in advance and despite CTED’s previous visits to Indonesia, Vietnam, Armenia, Georgia, Bangladesh, Bosnia, Herzegovina, India and Nigeria, this visit was immediately linked to South Africa hosting the 2010 World Cup. Notwithstanding the value this assessment might have for the preparationof the 2010 World Cup, the visit itself forms part of the committee’s commitment to visit member states in order to have a first-hand assessment of initiatives taken to prevent and combat terrorism within the United Nations Security Council’s Resolution 1373.
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Full ISS report
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| Two arrested for selling counterfeit tickets - 20/07/2008 |
Two people were arrested for selling counterfeit tickets outside Newlands Stadium before the opening Vodacom Challenge soccer match in Cape Town. Spokesperson Vish Naidoo said another seven people were arrested for possession of such tickets on Saturday, in addition to the two arrested for selling the tickets. According to a report on the News24 site, the arrests were carried out just before the match between Manchester United and Kaizer Chiefs. Vish said spectators had been warned that there would not be any sale of tickets outside the stadium. They also were warned about drunkenness and bringing weapons to the ground.
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Full report on the News24 site ?
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| Additional 13 000 vests for 2010 - 17/07/2008 |
SAPS Western Cape have defended their position on bulletproof vests, saying that they have ’more than enough vests available’ and calling the DA’s comments about a shortage ’so far from the truth’. The Cape Argus reports that they accused the DA of deliberately misleading the public. According to the police, four years ago they had only 7 500 vests. Now, thanks to efficient expenditure, they had 20 100 available. For the 2008/09 financial year, R39m had been allocated for buying an additional 13 000 vests in preparation for 2010. SAPS also say that at each station there are extra vests available.
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Full Cape Argus report ?
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| 2010 security exercise for PE - 16/07/2008 |
The army, navy, police and airforce will descend on Port Elizabeth later this month to conduct a training exercise ahead of the 2010 World Cup. According to a report on the News24 site, National police spokesperson Sally de Beer said ’Exercise Shield’, to be conducted between July 27 and August 3, was a practice run for securing the airspace, maritime environment and other strategic areas in case of a threat during the 2010 tournament. ’Some of the most elite members and units within the security forces will... enact certain aspects of emergency contingency plans in order to neutralise any form of airborne, seaborne and landborne threat,’ de Beer said. The police would use their special task force, national intervention unit, national and provincial air wings, border and entry points unit in the exercise.
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Full report on the News24 site ?
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| La Rue develops holographic tags for 2010 - 14/7/2008 |
De La Rue is to implement high-tech security features on a range of holographic tags after being reselected as a 2010 FIFA World Cup partner. The tags will appear on clothing and merchandise for the tournament, which takes place in South Africa. The items will include easily authenticated holograms and SLSNet – an online ordering and tracking system. Shopkeepers and FIFA enforcement officials will be able to scan the tags to certify the garments’ authenticity. The tags will also enable buyers to identify legitimate FIFA merchandise. FIFA, which has set up a network of globally branded stores in preparation for the 2010 tournament, claims there was not one case of counterfeit merchandise during the 2006 World Cup in Germany. De La Rue marketing communications manager Clare Walsh said: ’The tags are a three-pronged prevention measure for counterfeiting. The public can identify them in stores; device managers can check them in stores; and forensic workers can check authenticity in the lab.’
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Full Print week report
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| 2010 disaster management plan reviewed - 10/07/2008 |
Everything from infectious disease screening and control to increased land and air traffic needed to be considered in the disaster management plan for the 2010 World Cup, the department of provincial and local government said on Wednesday. ’We are told that we must expect 75 000 visitors; that means more visitors than normal. What are the implications of that?’ asked the department’s Freedom Radebe. He was speaking at a disaster management indaba in Midrand. He said contingency plans needed to be put in place.
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Full report on the IoL site
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| SAPS prepared for 2010 - 07/07/2008
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The SAPS says it will be ready for 2010. Senior superintendent Vishnu Naidoo, communications officer for 2010 World Cup Security, said the plans began when South Africa won the bid to host the World Cup.The deployment of police officials at venues and areas marked for 2010 security will cost R640m while the procurement services will cost R665m. When asked whether this means 2010 security plans takes precedence over crime prevention in communities for ordinary citizens, Naidoo said 2010 security plans will take into consideration and include citizen protection as well. According to a report on the Tycoon site, part of the 2010 security plan includes working on ideas and ways to combat a crisis dictated by facts such as venue location, accommodation, tourist destinations, number and status of people attending an event as well as possible or potential threats.
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Full report report on the Tycoon site
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| Police invest in 2010 security - 03/07/2008
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The police plan to spend R640m securing the 2010 World Cup by deploying about 41 000 police offers and new equipment - including ICT - that is worth a further R665m. MoneyWeb reports that deputy national police commissioner Andre Pruis says the acquisitions will include an unspecified number of unmanned aerial systems or robotic planes as well as about 300 mobile cameras that can be fitted to vehicles, lamp posts and even clothing - in addition to those fitted to the UAS and the police’s existing helicopter and aircraft fleet.
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Full MoneyWeb report
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| FIFA gets SA’s 2010 security plan - 30/06/2008
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South Africa’s security plan for the 2010 World Cup was handed to FIFA on Monday, Deputy National Police Commissioner Andre Pruis said. ’I think FIFA will be satisfied with the draft security plan that we have handed them,’ Pruis said. He said 41 92 police officers would be deployed for the cup above those already deployed for normal policing. According to a report on the IoL site, Pruis also said the police has started procuring items needed to police the event, including water cannons, body armour, 100 BMWs for route patrols, mobile police stations for the stadiums, 300 surveillance cameras, helicopters and unmanned surveillance aircraft.
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Full report on the IoL site
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| Weah addresses concerns about violence - 25/06/2008 |
Former AC Milan and Paris Saint Germain star George Weah said he hoped the 2010 World Cup in South Africa would be an opportunity to stop ’generalising’ about African violence, which ’exists everywhere, even in Europe.’ ’This World Cup in South Africa is a chance to bring people together throughout Africa and show that one must stop generalising, particularly when it comes to insecurity in Africa,’ said Weah, now an ambassador for the upcoming first World Cup in Africa. The Namibian reports that Weah said, ’South Africa is a great nation able to protect the people who will come, and insecurity is present everywhere. I have experienced it in France and in Italy. It is everywhere,’
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Full report in The Namibian
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| New moves to boost policing - 24/06/2008 |
Gauteng’s Minister of Community Safety Firoz Cachalia yesterday announced that the police service will be ’significantly’ boosted ahead of the 2010 World Cup. Presenting his budget vote speech at the Gauteng legislature, Cachalia said the province will receive an additional 453 detectives within a year. ’Direct assistance will be provided through the Provincial Detective Support Teams which will assist local-level detectives with gathering and processing evidence,’ he said. Earlier this month, Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula said the policing budget which has increased by 38% over the past three years would climb to a projected R49.4bn by 2010. Government aims to lower the crime rate by between 7 and 10% ahead of the World Cup.
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Full report on the Project 2010 site
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| Will violence overshadow 2010? - 15/06/2008 |
A giant calabash, the traditional African cooking pot, is rising from the red earth between Johannesburg and Soweto. Two thousand workmen toil into the night to make sure that the vast structure is ready to welcome 94 000 spectators at the opening ceremony of the 2010 World Cup, two years from this week. The Government has seized on the occasion to sink billions of pounds into a creaking infrastructure built for white minority rule but hopelessly inadequate for today’s African superpower. Whispering on the sidelines, however, officials and ordinary South Africans fear that the showcase event may yet be overshadowed by violence or the inability of this new-build infrastructure to cope. As one official said: ’It could all collapse around our ears.’
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Full report in The Times
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| Suicide bomber targets soccer fans - 15/06/2008 |
A female suicide bomber in northern Iraq targeted buoyant soccer fans who had just watched their national team win a big match against China, authorities told CNN. At least 29 people were wounded when the bomber detonated her suicide vest in a marketplace in the Diyala province town of Qara Tappa, a predominantly Shiite Kurdish town with a Shiite Turkmen population. The game was part of the Asian qualifier for the 2010 South Africa World Cup, and Iraq and China are part of Group 1, along with Australia and Qatar. The match was played in China. The top two teams in the round advance to another stage of qualifying for the World Cup. Iraq eliminated China from competition and is in the running to advance.
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Full CNN report
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