As the fourth phase of ticket sales kicks off, government has reiterated that the country is ready to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
Deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe says government is pleased with the progress made regarding preparations for the soccer tournament.
Following the monthly 2010 Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) meeting, to assess government plans and state of readiness, Motlanthe says all departments have shown progress and indicated they are ready to host the tournament.
“We are pleased to announce that it is all systems go for the World Cup. All reports submitted to the IMC confirmed that all plans are on track.”
He adds it is “encouraging” that six stadiums had been fitted with fibre-optic broadcasting infrastructure. The remaining four stadiums are scheduled to be completed by the end of March.
The security cluster also confirmed the security plan for the World Cup is complete and noted that it expected visitors would be able to enjoy a safe and secure tournament.
The police will spend R640 million securing the soccer tournament by deploying about 41 000 police officers and new equipment, and will spend a further R665 million on technology. Acquisitions will include about 300 mobile cameras that can be fitted to vehicles, crowd-control equipment and four mobile command centres, at a cost of around R6 million each.
Motlanthe added that upgrades to major airports had been completed. Most major airports have now been equipped with computerised airline docking systems and common user terminal equipment system for passenger check-ins, among other improvements.
He also reported that the IMC welcomed reports that the OR Tambo to Sandton section of the Gautrain is expected to be ready before the kick-off.
Motlanthe also urged South Africans to buy tickets. The fourth ticketing phase will start on 9 February and end on 7 April. More than 400 000 tickets will be made available on a first-come-first-serve basis through First National Bank branches and the Fifa Web site.
The final phase will be for the last 500 000 tickets. This will start on 15 April and end on 11 July, with tickets being made available on a first come, first served basis.
Share
