PROJECT 2010 - Preparing South Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™

Project 2010 - A Twenty Ten Media and Marketing Initiative

PREPARING SOUTH AFRICA FOR THE WORLD

Sex industry

2010 World Cup unsettles a myth – 07/12/2010

The month long grand feast of the FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010 in June was viewed as having presented a money spinning platform for commercial sex workers who flocked into the country from all over the world, notes an Afrik News report. A new report reveals the true nature of that view. A report released early December, 2010 reveals that the FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010 in June was a particularly unsettling period for commercial sex workers who had flocked into the various South African host cities from around the world, especially local sex workers.

Full Afrik News report

Sex workers’ dry season – 06/12/2010

Sex workers have reported a dry spell this year, stating that soccer fans were more interested in watching games than playing dirty, according to a report by The Sowetan. According to a report on the iafrica.com site, after anticipating an upswing in work during the 2010 World Cup, sex workers have reported that work has been thin on the ground since soccer celebrations hit South Africa.

Full iafrica.com report

No rise in prostitution during WC - 22/10/2010

Alarmist predictions that tens of thousands of sex workers would descend on South Africa to cater for football fans at this year’s World Cup were debunked by a survey showing there had been no surge in prostitution. Sify.com reports that the survey carried out by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Cape Town-based lobby group Sex Worker Education and Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT) among 663 sex workers in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, found no major increase in demand during or since the World Cup.

Full Sify.com report

Ribery charged in sex probe - 20/07/2010

French football international Franck Ribery was placed under formal judicial investigation on allegations he had sex with an under-age prostitute. The 27-year-old midfielder appeared before an investigating magistrate in Paris after having been detained by vice squad officers and questioned for six hours on a charge of having ’solicited an under-age prostitute.’ The magistrate’s indictment is the first stage of a judicial investigation that could lead to a trial and, if convicted, Ribery faces three years in jail and a fine of $58 000.

Full Sport24 report

Sex workers disappointed – 22/06/2010workers

Sex workers who had been hoping to turn a quick buck when soccer fans descended on South Africa for the World Cup say they have been disappointed. Pretoria News reports that while some upmarket strip clubs have reported good business, for those on the street business has not boomed as hoped. In the months leading up to the World Cup, there was mounting expectation that prostitution would peak during the tournament, with reports that sex workers would flood into the country. But tough police and security action as well as the cold weather have meant much less business than anticipated.

Full Pretoria News report

Calls to halt harassment ignored - 09/06/2010

Calls to place a moratorium on all arrests of s ex workers continue to go unheard, according to the Sex Workers Education & Advocacy Taskforce (Sweat) in a report on the Legalbrief Today site. ’We anticipate the already high levels of violence against s ex workers will continue during the 2010 World Cup and believe that the unlawful arrests and sexual harassment by police will definitely increase as they try to keep the streets ’clean’,’ said Sweat’s Vivienne Lalu.

Full report on the Legalbrief sitereport

Two condoms per night for WC fans – 03/06/2010

Soccer fans will be bombarded with free condoms and safe sex messages as soon as they check in to their hotel rooms, notes a report on the Iol site. Over a million government condoms have been manufactured for the 2010 World Cup, 200 000 of which will be distributed in the Cape Town city centre. Some 160 000 condoms will also be distributed at hotels across the city. It’s two condoms, per hotel room, per night for the 2010 World Cup, said Cape Town Tourism chief executive Marriette du-Toit-Helmbold.

Full report on the IoL site report

Sex workers hope for WC bonanza - 28/05/2010

Buyekezwa Makwabe, The Times: Biting her lip nervously she watches the police leave the room. ’Skye’, 26, is sitting on the bed where she would have made just enough money to buy a few days’ groceries. She is a sex worker in a ’massage parlour’ in Cape Town. The Sunday Times catches her entertaining a naked man during a ’bust’ by the city’s vice squad, a unit established almost eight months ago to rid the city streets of sex workers. On the eve of the World Cup, pretty young faces selling their bodies are sprouting like mushrooms around the city, and sex workers around the country are hoping to rake in foreign currency from tourists.

Full column in The TimesThe

Dr Eve hosts safe sex drive for WC - 28/05/2010

Celebrity sexologist Dr Eve is throwing a sexy play party for women, since for the next six weeks the country will be focused on men playing with their balls. The popular and sometimes controversial doctor Marlene Wasserman is hosting a Dr Eve World Cup 2010 Play Party at the new Pepper Club Hotel in Loop Street, Cape Town. She said there would be a variety of sex toy demonstrations; women would learn what these toys were and how they could be used.

Full IOL report

Caution urged over human trafficking emails – 27/05/2010

The police have advised residents to disregard emails about human trafficking that have been circulating in Port Elizabeth reports The Herald. Human trafficking detective Marcel van der Watt said most of the e-mails circulating in Port Elizabeth were false. He said a recent e-mail in circulation claimed that a group of Nigerians were linked to a syndicate that had locked children inside a container in the Port Elizabeth harbour. The email said, ’they found kids in a container at the harbour of which one was a 13-year-old boy from MTR Smit [Children’s Haven] that went missing … They [police and media] were told to keep quiet until after the 2010 soccer World Cup in order not to influence possible visitors!!!’

Full Herald report

Human trafficking workshops completed – 27/05/2010

All Africa reports nearly 50 government officials last week completed a five-day training workshop in Tsumeb preparing them to deal with human trafficking. This week, another 45 officials from the south attended the same training in Keetmanshoop. ’The workshops are designed to ensure government officials have the skills and information to prevent and respond to human trafficking,’ said Unicef in a statement issued this week. The training is attended by officials from the Ministries of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, Safety and Security, Home Affairs and Immigration, and Finance.

Full All Africa report

Human trafficking fears dismissed - 25/05/2010trafficking

Sex work researchers have dismissed fears of a massive rise in human trafficking for the 2010 World Cup, saying cash-strapped NGO’s could be tagging onto the tournament to win extra resources. Sports24 reports that recent research had found fears of human trafficking had been grossly exaggerated in the build up to the tournament, Marlize Richter, a researcher from the University of the Witwatersrand said at a discussion hosted by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in Cape Town.

Full Sports24 report

2010 exploitation fears raised - 22/05/2010

Human trafficking may be the ’dark side’ of the 2010 World Cup celebrations, said Minister for Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities Noluthando Mayende-Sibiya. ’We are very concerned as government about the challenge of human trafficking, particularly of women and children for various forms of exploitation,’ Mayende-Sibiya told a rally against human trafficking in Midrand. According to a report on the News24 site, the rally was organised by the Catholic Justice and Peace Committee and was part of the SA Catholic Bishops conference. It was attended by a few hundred people.

Full report on the News24 site

40 000 prostitutes at $5.7bn World Cup – 21/05/2010

South Africa will spend a staggering $5.7 billion preparing for World Cup 2010, an event expected to attract an estimated 373,000 foreign football fans and up to 40,000 foreign sex workers. The emerging economy has spent big on security, building and upgrading 10 stadia and creating transport infrastructure for the event. The World Cup is expected to generate significant economic activities for South Africa. The Sun News cites accountants, Grant Thornton, who forecast a 0.5 per cent to growth in the country’s economy as a direct result of the event.

Full report in The Sun

Sex workers fear missing WC party – 20/05/2010

Like other Johannesburg prostitutes, Zandile dreamed of getting rich from World Cup fans, notes a report on the IoL site. Now she complains that foreigners will be scared off by fear of Aids and crime and there will be no World Cup bonanza. South Africa has the world’s biggest HIV caseload, with 5.7 million cases, and foreign fans have been repeatedly warned in their home countries about the dangers of casual sex.

Full report on the IoL site

Plans to deal with child abuse in place – 18/05/2010

Government has put in place plans to prevent and deal with cases of abuse of children that may arise during the 2010 World Cup. Minister for Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities, Noluthando Mayende-Sibiya said the plans include raising community awareness about the risks and establishing care centres and other support services for children in host cities and public viewing areas. She said all provinces have put in place plans to increase awareness and respond to cases of violation of children’s rights during the tournament and social workers will also be deployed at public viewing areas and in all host cities.

Full BuaNews report

Unicef issues 2010 warning – 12/05/2010

The 2010 World Cup could see an increase in child labour linked to the ’economic bonanza’ that will accompany it, UN Children’s Fund (Unicef) representative Aida Girma said. ’There is little experience in organising major international sporting events in settings where the number of poor and vulnerable children is so high,’ Girma said at the launch of a report on child labour. The Mercury reports that she said many children could be tempted by the possibilities of earning money and were vulnerable to exploitation.

Full report in The Mercury

Choice of fan parks sparks prostitution fears – 03/05/2010

The Athlone Community Policing Forum has raised concerns about the effects of increasing prostitution in the area once the 2010 World Cup tournament ends. The Cape Argus reports that Chairman Vernon Peedt said the surge in prostitution had become a concern for the community in the light of the Vygieskraal Stadium having been chosen as a public viewing area for the tournament. Vygieskraal was initially chosen as a World Cup public viewing area but this was changed to the Athlone Civic Centre after the Confederations Cup last year, based on fears that people would stay away in rainy or cold weather.

Full Cape Argus report

Mangaung launches human trafficking campaign - 26/04/2010

Mangaung Local Municipality is gearing up for the 2010 World Cup spectacle by launching their anti-human trafficking and risky sexual behaviour campaign. The municipality said there were concerns about the expected high rate of human trafficking that is brought by the hosting of the tournament. Women and children will be brought into the country and the city as victims of this crime and cheap labour.

Full BuaNews report

Ribery involved in prostitution scandal - 20/04/2010

French international footballer Franck Ribery may be charged with having sex with an under-age prostitute, a judicial source said. The 27-year-old French midfielder, who is married and has two children, admitted to having relations with an under-age call-girl, according to a prosecution service official, notes a Herald de Paris report. Ribery says he did not know she was a minor. The allegations come less than two months before the Bayern Munich player is due to play for France in the 2010 World Cup.

Full Herald de Paris report

Fighting child pornography ahead of WC - 20/04/2010

The Internet may be responsible for opening up the world and making access to information easy, but it is a double-edged sword. Along with the freedom of information, a darker side exists, bringing with it crimes such as child pornography. ITWeb reports that this is according to deputy home affairs minister Malusi Gigaba, speaking during his department’s budget vote speech. In efforts to fight this, he said R15 million would be channelled to the Film and Publications Board (FPB) to fund educational advertisements on child pornography, as the 2010 World Cup approaches.

Full ITWeb report

2010 human trafficking concerns grow - 17/04/2010

At a heavily guarded hearing last week, seven suspects waived their right to bail in a case in which they are accused of recruiting women and at least one 16-year-old from across South Africa and bringing them to Ermelo, where they were treated like slaves and forced into prostitution. The Times reports that the case comes as South Africa prepares to enact tough new legislation against human traffickers. The 2010 World Cup has also focused attention on the crime, with questions about whether trafficking might increase because of the influx of partying fans.

Full report in The Times

Government looks to ban porn – 15/04/2010

The government wants to ban pornography viewed over the Internet, on cellphones and on TV, according to a Cape Times report. The Cape Times reports that Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba said the SA Law Commission had been asked to investigate the possibility of such a ban. Gigaba said the Film and Publications Amendment Act would assist the government in stamping out child p ornography, especially during the 2010 World Cup.

Full Cape Times reports

’No prostitutes on the menu during the WC’ - 09/04/2010

The City has warned soccer fans to stay away from illegal brothels and not to expect an array of sex workers and child prostitutes on the streets during the World Cup. "People must not expect to find prostitutes on the menu when they come to Cape Town," said JP Smith, the city’s safety and security mayoral committee member. With just nine weeks to the tournament kick-off, the city’s vice squad is closing in on illegal brothels and prostitution rings. Smith said there was a comprehensive policing strategy in place for the 2010 World Cup, which included clearing the streets of prostitutes and closing all illegal brothels.

Full Cape Argus report

Human trafficking alert - 28/03/2010

Pupils under surveillance outside schools, the snatching of toddlers at busy shopping malls and offers to ’buy’ pretty teenagers - South Africa’s children are under threat. The Times reports that as thousands of global soccer fans flood into the country for the month-long World Cup in June, schools will close their doors. Now child rights experts, NGOs and trafficking authorities have warned parents to be on high alert for syndicates who regard children, particularly those aged five to 15, as ’products’ and ’cargo’ with lucrative price tags.

Full report in The Times

Crackdown on predators commended – 26/03/2010

The Film and Publication Board (FPB) has welcomed Mxit’s crackdown on child predators, notes a report on the IoL site. ’Mxit’s zero-tolerance policy against paedophilia and paedophiles on their platforms and society at large is commendable...,’ said FPB chief executive said Yoliswa Makhasi. The social network recently announced that it would curb the posting of pornographic or explicit material on its site. The move came at a crucial time, said Makhasi. Children were most likely to be drawn to social networking platforms during and after the 2010 World Cup.

Full report on the IoL site

Trafficking risks under the spotlight – 25/03/2010

The 2010 World Cup will heighten the risk of human trafficking in South Africa, said a new study out which urged greater action against the crime, notes a News24 report. ’It’s a strong surmise that this problem will be become worse in the host cities during the month of the Cup,’ said Virginia Tilley of the Human Sciences Research Counci. ’This is a natural magnet for traffickers because they figure they can make some good profits. The demand for sex and drugs really crest during these events on a large scale.’

Full News24 report

SA to fast-track human trafficking law – 17/03/2010

South Africa is to fast-track a comprehensive new law against human trafficking before the start of the 2010 World Cup, said Justice Minister Jeff Radebe. According to a Mail & Guardian report, South Africa hosts the month-long event from June 11 and some child rights groups have warned that trafficking, mainly for sexual exploitation, could rise during the tournament. Work on the law, intended to bring together disparate pieces of legislation against trafficking and enhance prosecution, began in 2003. Currently, there is limited scope to prosecute because of the narrow nature of the existing trafficking laws.

Full Mail & Guardian report

Britain sends SA 42m condoms - 08/03/2010

Britain is to give 42m condoms to South Africa in response to a request for an extra billion as part of an HIV prevention drive before the 2010 World Cup, the government will announce. The Guardian reports that the request for British help in stockpiling sufficient condoms for the expected influx of thousands of football supporters in three months’ time was made during President Jacob Zuma’s recent visit to the UK to meet the Queen.

Full report in The Guardian

Laying on the ladies for the WC - 05/03/2010

Local pub owners are planning to cash in on the 2010 World Cup by busing football fans to their ’executive gentlemen’s club’ where sex is on the menu, notea a report on the IoL site. Lourens Opperman (45) and Louis Coetzee (40), own Castle Corner in Rustenburg in the North West Province where six matches will be played at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium and where the England squad will be based.

Full IoL report