| Hotel distances itself from Symcox - 29/11/2007 |
The Selbourne Hotel and Golf Estate in Pennington on the KZN south coast, has distanced itself from a statement made by former SA cricketer Pat Symcox -- that the hosting of the 2010 WC by SA should be withdrawn because of crime in this country. The SABC reports that this follows the killing of former Austrian soccer player Peter Burgstaller on the golf estate. Three people have appeared in court in connection with the murder. A local Sunday newspaper quoted Symcox as saying that the SA Government should deal with crime or else cancel the hosting of the 2010 WC.
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Full SABC report
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| Crime fears persist as SA prepares for 2010 – 26/11/2007 |
Fifa President Sepp Blatter condemned the murder of a former Austrian soccer player in Durban, but backed SA to host a successful WC in 2010. Fears linger over the safety of visiting fans in 2010, highlighted by the killing of Austrian tourist and former footballer Peter Burgstaller. According to a report on the IoL site, SA’s crime levels remain among the highest in the world, with murders and violent robberies a daily occurrence, although tournament organisers and police have vowed tourists will be safe.
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Full report on the IoL site
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| German delegate robbed - 25/11/2007 |
Thieves stole a briefcase belonging to Germany team manager Oliver Bierhoff before the WC qualifying draw in Durban on Sunday, German football officials said. The briefcase, containing his passport, mobile phone and documents relating to the draw, were stolen as the former international made his way to breakfast at his hotel in Durban, the German Football Federation (DFB) said. Bierhoff was issued a substitute passport by the German embassy in SA.
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Full report on the News24 site
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| SAPS ready for 2010 WC – 24/11/2007 |
SA’s deputy police commissioner Andre Pruis says his force is ready to meet the security challenges
posed by hosting the 2010 WC. Fifa Secretary General Jerome Valcke has already expressed concern
about the security situation in SA and football’s ruling body were set to meet with Pruis and other security officials discuss the matter. According to a Bangkok Post report, national police force levels will increase by 31 000 to 195 000 between now and 2010. The extra numbers will allow 31 000 officers as well as 10 000 reservists to be permanently deployed on WC duty from mid-April until the end of July 2010.
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Full Bangkok Post report
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| 2010 crime concerns raised - 22/11/2007 |
It would be a disaster if the safety of people were threatened during the 2010 World Cup, says Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke. Addressing a news conference on, Valcke said people became aware of the crime in SA only when visiting the country. ’When I arrived in SA and bought a newspaper, I read of all the crime. When you read about that, you start wondering about safety in the country. In Europe, we don’t hear as much about it. Therefore, it is more important in SA than abroad,’ Valcke said. Valcke said SA should work hard to obtain the co-operation of all its communities to make it a very safe tournament.
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Full report on the News 24 site
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| 40 000 police for 2010 - 22/11/2007 |
More than 40 000 police will be deployed during the 2010 WC. Police deputy commissioner Andre Pruis said that 31 000 police and 10 000 reservists would be deployed specifically for the tournament. According to a report on the News24 site, by the time the WC kicked off, SA would have a 195 000-strong police force. Boosting security would be eight new police helicopters, giving the force a total of 46 choppers for the tournament. The helicopter purchase is part of a R655m budget for new equipment.
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Full report on the News24 site
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| Blow for beaches ahead of draw - 21/11/2007 |
Preparations for Durban’s big soccer draw and what it hopes will be a bumper festive season, may have hit a snag with rumblings over the status of the city’s Blue Flag beaches. According to a report on the IoL site, poor water quality, contamination from storm-water outlets and massive damage caused by freak waves earlier this year, are fuelling concerns that some Blue Flag beaches could get their coveted international status withdrawn. If so, Durban could be dealt a serious blow at a time when thousands of visitors are heading for the city. Durban is bracing itself for a flood of journalists, delegates and fans ahead of the Fifa 2010 WC preliminary draw.
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Full report on the IoL site
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| Over 30 000 police for 2010 - 20/11/2007 |
More than 30 000 police officers are being recruited and trained specifically for strategic deployment for the 2010 WC. According to the 2010 Government Fifa World Cup Unit, SA’s security Master Plan has been completed and is being implemented. ’The more than 30 000 police officers who will be responsible for the tournament are already being recruited and undergoing training. These officers will be deployed at PSL matches during 2008 and 2009 to gain experience. Part of the security plan is already in operation for the Preliminary Draw in Durban this coming weekend,’ reported the Government 2010 Unit.
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Full report on the allafrica.com site
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| Over 30 000 police for 2010 - 20/11/2007 |
More than 30 000 police officers are being recruited and trained specifically for strategic deployment for the 2010 WC. According to the 2010 Government Fifa World Cup Unit, SA’s security Master Plan has been completed and is being implemented. ’The more than 30 000 police officers who will be responsible for the tournament are already being recruited and undergoing training. These officers will be deployed at PSL matches during 2008 and 2009 to gain experience. Part of the security plan is already in operation for the Preliminary Draw in Durban this coming weekend,’ reported the Government 2010 Unit.
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Full report on the allafrica.com site
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| Arrangements for 2010 draw underway - 19/11/2007 |
The police, members from the eThekwini municipality and other role players have been locked in meetings to finalise security arrangements for Sunday’s 2010 preliminary draw in Durban. In the build-up to the event, soccer training clinics will also be held in four KwaZulu-Natal municipalities. FIFA delegates are expected to visit the Moses Mabhida Stadium site on Friday and watch the Soweto derby between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates on Saturday.
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Full SABC report
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| New centre to cope with disasters - 19/11/2007 |
The capacity to manage natural and man-made disasters in KwaZulu-Natal received a major boost at the weekend. MEC for local government, housing and traditional affairs, Mike Mabuyakhulu, officially opened a multimillion-rand disaster management centre in Empangeni on the north coast. The centre will operate under the auspices of the Uthungulu district municipality. It will serve predominantly rural municipalities under the district, including Inkandla where a fire recently razed an old-age home , leaving 12 pensioners dead . Mabuyakhulu said the opening of the centre was a significant milestone for the municipality because it was one of the areas which has been earmarked as a camp site for the 2010 World Cup spectacle.
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Full report in the Sowetan
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| New centre to cope with disasters - 19/11/2007 |
The capacity to manage natural and man-made disasters in KwaZulu-Natal received a major boost at the weekend. MEC for local government, housing and traditional affairs, Mike Mabuyakhulu, officially opened a multimillion-rand disaster management centre in Empangeni on the north coast. The centre will operate under the auspices of the Uthungulu district municipality. It will serve predominantly rural municipalities under the district, including Inkandla where a fire recently razed an old-age home , leaving 12 pensioners dead . Mabuyakhulu said the opening of the centre was a significant milestone for the municipality because it was one of the areas which has been earmarked as a camp site for the 2010 World Cup spectacle.
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Full report in the Sowetan
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| More police air-support for 2010 - 19/11/2007 |
Police are hoping to use about 50 helicopters with surveillance cameras as part of their security plan for the 2010 World Cup. National Deputy Commissioner of the South African Police Service Andre Pruis says these helicopters will be crucial in monitoring tourist hotsposts such as hotels, stadiums and nearby streets during the tournament. The SAPS has to submit its security plan to world football governing body FIFA. Pruis says they hope to borrow some helicopters from the National Defence Force. About 30 000 police officers will be deployed to combat crime during the tournament.
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Full SABC report
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| 2010 security head passes away - 15/11/2007 |
The SAPS is mourning the passing of one of its prominent members and its Head of Security for the 2010 WC. Assistant Commissioner Peter Mathongwane, who was the Station Commissioner of Sunnyside Police Station in Sunnyside, Tshwane, passed away after a short illness. BuaNews reports that the highly experienced police strategist was immediately appointed the SAPS Head of Security for the international event after the much-awaited public announcement of SA’s right to host the 2010 WC.
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Full BuaNews report
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| Selebi confident of security during preliminary draw - 15/11/2007 |
National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi has put his head on the block and pledged that not a single international guest in Durban for the World Cup preliminary draw will become a victim of crime. The Cape Times reports that he was briefing the National Assembly’s safety and security committee. More than 200 Fifa football affiliates will arrive in Durban for the preliminary draw, and thousands of delegates are expected to be in town for several days before jetting out of the country after the draw. Selebi said he was confident of the capabilities of the men and women in blue.
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Full Cape Times report
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| Top bosses discuss 2010 WC safety - 14/11/2007 |
Co-ordinating all security plans to provide a safe WC in 2010 was the overriding item on the agenda at a meeting held by SA’s top security bosses in the city. The Herald reports that the meeting was attended by representatives of SA’s nine provincial safety and security secretariats, the National Intelligence Agency and the 2010 LOC’s safety and security division. Eastern Cape safety and security superintendent-general Bashir Hoosain said: ’We are strengthening relationships with the LOC’s safety committee. Further, we are forging close working relationships with each other. We are also defining our roles and obligations as secretariats in ensuring a safe 2010.’
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| Single emergency numbers by 2010? - 12/11/2007 |
South Africans could have a single number to dial on mobile phones and landlines in case of all emergencies, by 2010, if planning by the Department of Communications (DOC) comes to fruition. ITWeb reports that the DOC has been tinkering with the concept since 2002 and established a pilot contact centre at the Strand, near Somerset West, in 2004. It currently handles ambulance calls for the Cape metropole. Meanwhile, Fifa says a 112 single emergency number and contact centre infrastructure is ’not per se a Fifa requirement, but would for sure be a helpful and appreciated initiative by the SA Government’. Departmental spokesperson Albi Modise says that a feasibility study was done on the Somerset West experiment and revisited earlier this year. In the meantime, the management and operations of the pilot centre are outsourced to Equal Access, a private company.
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Full ITWeb report
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| SA’s new anti-crime strategy - 09/11/2007 |
The issue of crime has become a national obsession, cropping up in discussions on everything from the 2010 World Cup to investment. Business Day reports that everyone seems to know someone who has been a victim of violent crime, if they have not been one themselves. Statistics released in July showed that crime had decreased 2,6% compared to the previous year. But the crimes most likely to be reported to police — murder, robbery with aggravated circumstances and robbery and burglary of residential properties — showed an increase. In the light of this, one would expect that the cabinet’s approval of a turnaround strategy for the criminal justice system — seen as the first concrete and concerted effort by the government in recent years to address crime — would be welcomed.
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Full Business Day report
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| CPFs encourages police accountability - 08/11/2007 |
The introduction of Community Police Forums (CPF) in the country has brought a new dimension to policing as it encourages police oversight and accountability, according to the secretary of the Department of Safety and Security, Themba Mathe. According to a report on the News24 site, researcher in the Crime and Justice Programme at the Institute of Security Studies, Bilkis Omar, said factors that needed to be taken into account in terms of public order policing and the impending 2010 World Cup included the violent crime rate, soccer hooliganism, the recent increase in violent protest and the role of private security companies.
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Full report on the News24 site
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| Global praise for SA crime line - 08/11/2007 |
The anonymous anti-crime line system, Crime Line, run by SA media house Primedia, is recording the highest number of tip-offs in the world, prompting several countries to follow suit and introduce the SMS line. According to a report on the iafrica.com site, this emerged at the 28th annual Crime Stoppers International conference underway in Bermuda, where the theme for this year is ’Global Problems: Community Solutions’. Senior Supurintendent Lambrecht said the conference again reiterated the importance of community involvement in solving crime. ’With the 2010 World Cup coming, we can use the Crime Stop and Primedia initiatives to gather vital intelligence to ensure the safety of all visitors. Experience has shown that Crime Stoppers also play a major role in security peaceful national and international events,’ said Lambrecht.
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| Visitors’ safety a cause for concern - 06/11/2007 |
The 48-room Holiday Inn Soweto opens its doors in the Johannesburg township, but already there is a cloud hanging over it — a stigma about visitors’ safety. Business Day reports that the R2 3m hotel, the first to be built in the township, faces the challenge of convincing tourists to spend a night in the impoverished area of Kliptown. Although the operator, Zatic Hotels & Resorts, said the hotel was in a “safe area and an additional police presence and a private security company” would ensure the safety of guests, Thuto’s B&B owner Anastacia Makgato, who is treasurer of the Soweto Accommodation Association, said it was a big challenge to convince tourists to sleep in the township as ’there is a stigma that Soweto is not safe’. She said some travel agencies discouraged foreign tourists from booking accommodation in Soweto . More than 200 000 tourists visit Soweto every year as it is rich in history and culture, but Makgato was not optimistic about booming trade during the World Cup in 2010.
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Full Business Day report
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| Major debate over restructuring of SAPS - 01/11/2007 |
The restructuring of the SA Police Service was hotly debated at a conference, with police management saying restructuring will improve efficiency while a researcher disputed this. Business Day reports that the police restructuring plan entails the abolition of 43 area offices and moving their personnel to police stations, provincial offices or national headquarters. Director Hannes Swart told the conference that police management had identified several factors impeding optimal police functioning. These included the concentration of senior and experienced personnel at national, provincial and area levels. Swart said that the removal of the area offices would eliminate duplication and allow quicker responses to changing circumstances and community needs. The Institute for Security Studies hosted the conference to consider developments in policing in the light of the restructuring of the service and the 2010 World Cup.
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Full Business Day report
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| A new dimension to policing - 31/10/2007 |
The introduction of Community Police Forums (CPF) in the country has brought a new dimension to policing as it encourages police oversight and accountability, according to the Secretary of the Department of Safety and Security Themba Mathe. Addressing the Institute of Security Studies at a conference on policing in SA Mathe said the community was for the first time beginning to become involved in initiatives to hold police accountable for service delivery and conduct that was in accordance with constitutional values and norms. BuaNews reports that he said this was critical in ensuring crime prevention became a joint initiative between government and communities across SA. Researcher in the Crime and Justice Programme at the ISS Bilkis Omar said factors that needed to be taken into account in terms of public order policing and the impending 2010 World Cup included the violent crime rate, soccer hooliganism, the recent increase in violent protest and the role of private security companies. ’Given the many transformations, the critical question is how the process have impacted in the ability of the units to carry out their function optimally, especially with the increase in protest marches and the impending 2010 World Cup,’ he said.
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Full BuaNews report
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| Crime a threat to investors - 30/10/2007 |
Racism, tribalism and crime are serious threats to international investors who want to invest in the country, Limpopo’s 2010 financial committee co-ordinator Pandelani Ramagoma said. The Sowetan reports that Ramagoma was addressing delegates attending a two-day 2010 summit at Louis Trichardt. The summit, organised by Makhado Municipality, was aimed at advising the community about business opportunities in a province described as ’a gateway to Africa’. ’We should be a catalyst to do away with racism and tribalism. We should influence developments concerning the African Renaissance, New Partnership for Africa’s Development and African Unity,’ he said. He said because of race and tribalism, there were sceptics who thought SA could not host the 2010 World Cup. The country needed to be backed by other African countries to show the world that it could host sport’s biggest tournament.
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Full report in The Sowetan
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| COSAFA to tightens stadia rules, assures - 26/10/2007 |
COSAFA will from next year introduce stiff rules on stadia, saying all the games should be played in a Fifa approved stadium for security and safety reasons. COSAFA president, Suketu Patel, also assured COSAFA member nations that the tournament would be hosted next year as the association had almost finalised talks with new sponsors. According to a Times of Zambia report, Suketu said the new format was still being discussed with the would-be sponsors and that the regional soccer body did not want to weaken the standards of the regional competition, hence the introduction of strict rules on stadia. He said the new format was aimed at satisfying all member nations adding that, the latest set-up would have a provision of giving smaller countries a number of games, while big countries would be given an opportunity to have quality matches. Patel said the association would ensure the COSAFA Cup remained a long lasting product, adding that the regional tournament would continue to be a vehicle for marketing after the 2010 World Cup.
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Full Times of Zambia report
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| Pitch invasion damages SA’s image - 26/10/2007 |
After Teko Modise scored the winning penalty for South Africa to beat Zambia 4-3 at Free State Stadium, the frenzied crowd charged onto the field and smothered the Cosafa Castle Cup winners. The scenes were not fit for a country preparing to host the world’s largest sporting event yet no Safa officials, nor Cosafa officials, could give any information on how this fracas was allowed to happen despite the paltry crowd of less than 5 000 supporters, most of whom were dressed in Bloemfontein Celtic apparel. The Sowetan reports that Arnou Oberholzer, the owner of Security Patrol Expert said that his company was only designated to supervise the gates and the suites at the Free State stadium. With the 2010 World Cup just over 900 days away, this does not augur well for the first African hosts.
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Full report in The Sowetan
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| Daunting challenges facing SA - 25/10/2007 |
SA’s social challenges remain daunting, despite progress in restructuring SA’s economy and creating jobs in recent years, Moody’s Investors Service said in their latest SA annual report. Between 1995 and 2006, average incomes rose by $4000 (some R27 000) per person to $12 500 (R84 000) on a purchasing power parity basis. According to a report on the IoL site, crime had slowed for a time after the democratic transition, in fact some South Africans who had emigrated from the country were returning, but the revival of violent crime is putting this at risk. ’If the police and judicial authorities do not manage to bring crime under better control, investment could be seriously affected. In addition, the success of the 2010 World Cup in attracting foreign tourists will be in doubt,’ concluded the Moody’s analysts.
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| Rent-a-cop scheme for Mother City - 25/10/2007 |
A pilot plan to introduce a rent-a-cop scheme in the city centre is to be expanded to include another residential area, possibly Athlone. The Cape Times reports that the City of Cape Town is fine-tuning a policy that would allow 77 Metro Police officers to be sponsored by the public sector. The initial report on the feasibility of this was withdrawn from the council in May 2004. The project is being reconsidered by the city’s safety and security portfolio committee because of the ’thinly stretched’ resources of the Metro Police. Increasing crime levels and concerns about the safety of players and visitors during the 2010 World Cup have prompted the city to reconsider ways of bolstering its Metro Police.
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Full Cape Times report
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| FBI training for SA police ahead of 2010 - 25/10/2007 |
A recent poll conducted by research agency African Response reflected that two-thirds (66%) of South Africans agree that terrorism financing and money laundering will be areas of concern during the 2010 World Cup and call for FBI training in order to prepare SA police. Bizcommunity.com reports that Johannesburg Metro Police and the members of the South African Police Service have revealed that they are being trained by the FBI in order to be able to handle issues such as terrorism financing and money laundering ahead of the 2010 World Cup. The poll reflected the views of 400 respondents who were asked whether they felt that these areas require the detailed attention of law enforcers during the 2010 World Cup.
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| Terrorism a concern for 2010 - 24/10/2007 |
South Africans agree terrorism and money laundering are areas of concern for hosting the 2010 World Cup, an African Response study has found. According to a report on the IoL site, a poll conducted by African Response found that two thirds of South Africans agreed the threat posed in these two areas called for FBI training for South African police. African Response said the poll reflected the views of 400 South Africans who were asked whether the areas required the attention of the police during the World Cup. The latest African Response 2010 Barometer also showed that South Africans were growing more confident in their country’s ability to host the event.
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Full report on the IoL site
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