JEDDAH: South Africa is excited at the prospects of the world’s biggest sporting event mid-next year and preparations are in top gear, a team of South African diplomats and officials said at a road show on the FIFA 2010 World Cup held at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Monday.
“The current global financial crisis has had no adverse impact on the excitement and enthusiasm of Africa’s biggest event scheduled in June-July 2010,” South African Consul General Mahdi Basadien told Arab News during the road show. “On the contrary, the excitement and enthusiasm for the event is high and growing,” he added.
Basadien said the country would leave no stone unturned for providing safety and security to the athletes and also around the stadiums during the all-important world event.
Over 55,000 hotel rooms in various parts of the country are being made available for the visitors who will include tourists in addition to soccer fans. South Africa has set a target of 10 million tourists visiting the country during and after the World Cup.
South Africa’s preparations for the World Cup are in overdrive and all arrangements are being done with all seriousness, South African Deputy Consul General D.J. Ramolotsi said while giving a presentation on the work already completed or in progress at the country’s various stadiums.
Ramolotsi said Pretoria, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Free State, Rustenburg, Limpopo and Mpumalanga were among the cities hosting the World Cup at their stadiums.
According to Ramolotsi, the Mbombela stadium in Mpumalanga is a new stadium with a 46,000-seat capacity that is nearing completion this year. Also nearing completion is Free State’s Vodacom Park stadium, which has 48,000 seats.
Rustenburg’s Royal Bafokeng stadium is undergoing minor upgrades and will be completed early next year. It will provide 42,000 seats. Also slated for completion early next year is Limpopo’s Peter Mokaba stadium with its 46,000-seat capacity.
Almost ready is Port Elizabeth’s Nelson Mandela stadium with 48,000 seats. Durban’s Rand King Senzangakhona stadium is altogether a new one that is getting ready. It will provide a maximum of 70,000 seats. A similar number of seats will be available at Cape Town’s new Green Point stadium that is nearing completion.
Getting minor upgrades is Johannesburg’s Ellis Park stadium that will provide 61,000 seats. Its Soccer City with 94,700 seats is being given major upgrades. Both will be ready soon this year. Pretoria’s Loftus Versfield stadium with 50,000 seats is ready since last year.
Efforts are being made to ensure that the 2010 competition will be the best as it will make things easier for other African countries that will bid to host the competition in future, the organizers said. On security and safety of visitors to the country, the consul general said it was on the priority list of organizers as thousands of policemen would be on duty during the competition while each match venue would be patrolled by hundreds of police officers.
“We will also utilize the World Cup opportunity to boost tourism, more so when the exchange rate is in the country’s favor,” Basadien said.
“Aside from promoting the country as a destination for vacationers and businessmen, the country is also emphasizing on education and medical tourism, as well as student exchange programs,” he said, adding that the country’s hospitality sector continues to expand rapidly.
The country is devoted to infrastructure development, job creation, tourism, social cohesion and branding of the country and Africa as a whole.About 450,000 jobs will be created as a result of the World Cup, which will feature 32 national teams from various parts of the world.
South Africa’s Interlink Airlines (Pty) Ltd. is operating regular services from Jeddah for about a year and will consider pressing into service extra flights to meet the expected rush during the World Cup season, Interlink Airlines CEO Murad Ismail said.
Haroon Sheik Oosman, consul for immigration and civic affairs at the South African Consulate General, hinted that the country’s visa rules might be liberalized to enable a great number of World Cup enthusiasts obtain their visas.
“As it is, it takes two to three days for the issuance of visas to a Saudi or an expatriate applicant,” Oosman said.
