Sport and Recreation South Africa

SA government’s S&T jumps

2007-02-07T07:37:00.001-08:00

It is unacceptable that the departments should spend at such a grotesque level while the country faces poverty, underdevelopment and unemployment on an enormous scale. It is a major injustice to South Africans

Spending on sustenance and travel by departmental officials for 22 government departments jumped by some 500 million rand or 44% in 2005/06 - to 1.6 billion rand - compared to the previous year’s 1.1 billion rand, according to replies from ministers to the official opposition.

Official opposition Democratic Alliance finance spokesman, Ian Davidson, said in a statement that his party had now received all the replies from a series of parliamentary questions about the amount spent by the departments on hotels, travel and restaurants for the financial year 2005/06.

Davidson said: "This huge amount is even more difficult to explain in light of the fact that most departments face a massive and increasing skills shortage, so their expenditures should be going down, not up."

He provided a summary of the findings: Home Affairs under minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nkaqula rose by 190% or by 95.3 million rand from the previous financial year 2004/05; Sport and Recreation under Makhenkesi Stofile jumped by 4.9 million rand or by 107% while Finance under minister Trevor Manuel rose 114% or by 66.8 million rand.

Total accommodation costs for 2005/2006 rose by 35%. The worst offenders were Minerals and Energy - now under minister Buyelwa Sonjica - with a 145% spike of 4.5 million from 2004/2005; Sport and Recreation rose 99% or by 691,165 rand from 2004/2005 while Home Affairs rose 94% or by 15.1 million rand from 2004/2005.

Total restaurant expenses costs rose by 34% in 2005/2006. The worst offenders were Sport and Recreation with a 448% - an increase of 23,376 rand, from 2004/2005; Correctional Services under minister Ngconde Balfour with a 98% - an increase of 9.6 million rand from 2004/2005 and Science and Technology under minister Mosibudi Mangena with a 50% increase - or 536,960 rand from 2004/2005.

Davidson commented that these were only the three worst offenders.

Public Service and Administration, Transport and Environmental Affairs and Tourism all increased their expenditure by more than 50%, he reported.

"The departments should be called to account for these increases and if no good reasons are given then any increase above the rate of inflation must be questioned."

"It is unacceptable that the departments should spend at such a grotesque level while the country faces poverty, underdevelopment and unemployment on an enormous scale. It is a major injustice to South Africans."

I-Net Bridge

New stadium is crazy

2007-01-31T11:25:00.000-08:00

Tribune: January 28, 2007
Ratepayers will know this week how much of the R600 million shortfall for the construction of the King Senzangakhona Stadium they will be expected to make up.

But as provincial officials and preferred building consortium Group 5 sharpened their pencils to reduce costs in the face of the national Treasury's refusal to raise its contribution of R1,8-billion, the project, and eThekwini's handling of it, were lambasted by Sharks Chief Executive Brian van Zyl.

"It is a sad state of affairs, really. In the first instance, to fill that stadium . . . where do you have two stadiums together like this anywhere in the world that are viable? I can't think of any. It doesn't make sense. It's crazy," he said.

He described the World Cup stadium as a potential "White Elephant". Citing the running and maintenance costs of the Sharks' Absa Stadium across the road, Van Zyl asked how similar expenses at King Senzangakhona would be met.

The Absa stadium could have been expanded, making it suitable for the World Cup - and at a fraction of the cost of Senzangakhona, he said. It is understood that the preferred bidder, Group 5, has sent proposals to the eThekwini Municipality with a reduced price, after the Treasury's refusal to provide further funding.

eThekwini Municipality head of Strategic Projects, Julie-May Ellingson, told parliament's sports portfolio committee this week that the city was short of R600-million for the stadium. The national Treasury had allocated R1,8-billion to eThekwini for the development - R1,6-billion for stadium construction and R200-million for the precinct development.

But the Treasury reiterated that it would not increase its allocation to the host cities, five of which have sought a total of R2.5 billion more.

KwaZulu-Natal Premier S'bu Ndebele told the Tribune that a task team would produce a report by Wednesday on how the costs of the stadium could be adjusted to keep it within budget. This team comprises KwaZulu-Natal Director-General Mandla Mchunu, provincial head of Treasury Sipho Shabalala, Transport Head of Department Dr Kwazi Mbanjwa, and Sports and Recreation Head of Department Sumayya Khan.

They were negotiating with Group 5 to bring down its price, said Ndebele.

Group 5 KwaZulu-Natal Managing Director Craig Jessop said, "We've reassessed certain provisions which we had made and we have sent proposals to the city, but nothing has been accepted yet. There is potential to reduce the price," he said.

If all failed, Ndebele said that the provincial government and the eThekwini Municipality would have to find ways to meet the shortfall. He was hoping the private sector would get involved too, he said.

"We hope that people will rise to the occasion, because this is the biggest show on earth and we have to take advantage of that. There won't be another soccer World Cup coming to Africa in our lifetime," he said.

"We have to look at how to adjust costs so that we can come up with the stadium within budget. If not, where can we find the money to cover the overflow? Treasury is not coming to the party, as they are finding it difficult to go beyond what they have allocated," he said.

Ndebele was part of a meeting on January 18 which included City Manager Mike Sutcliffe, 2010 Local Organising Committee bosses Irvin Khoza and Danny Jordaan, and Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad, to discuss the stadium.

There has been a rumour doing the rounds that the city wasconsidering upgrading Absa Stadium as an alternative.

Sutcliffe would not comment on this. All he would say was that a decision on what was to be done would be made on January 31. "I'm not going to discuss anything right now. The task team has finished their work. All that's left is for a decision to be taken by the political structures," he said.

However, Ndebele said that upgrading the rugby stadium for the World Cup was "out of the question".

"We're going to build this thing (King Senzangakhona); R1,6 billion is a lot of money," he said.

An upbeat Ndebele said the province was confident about hosting a successful World Cup semifinal and would be pushing to be the home ground for five of the 32 competing countries.

Acknowledging that he had heard rumours of a city re-think in light of the Treasury's refusal to budge, Van Zyl said, "We are totally in the dark. We've received no communication - not a phone call, a letter or a fax - since August."

Van Zyl said the municipality had asked the rugby union in August for financial details of its operation. It was given these in September. "We've moved on; we're assuming that the new stadium is going ahead. For us it's business as usual," Van Zyl said.

Rugby suite holders' leases were being renewed at Absa Stadium, some up to 2012. "It would be difficult to move at this stage because of these issues."

But was the union's door still open to negotiations? "In the interests of the city we would be prepared to listen," said Van Zyl.

On whether rugby was interested in moving across to the King Senzangakhona facility, he said it included an athletic track which distanced spectators from the game. A real rugby ground did not have a track around it.

The rugby boss said his union had consulted architects, engineers and quantity surveyors in 2005. They believed they could upgrade Absa Stadium from 50 000 seats to 70 000 for R500 million. "With escalations, the city could do a fantastic job with R1 billion. Now they're talking about R2-billion or more."

Van Zyl said the Absa Stadium cost between R10 million and R12-million a year to run and maintain. "This for a 50 000-seater. Can you imagine what the upkeep of the new stadium (with 70 000 seats) would be?"

At a lunch with Sutcliffe, he said he had floated the idea of eThekwini buying the Absa Stadium. The informal price tag was R400-million. And the proposal was that the city could lease it to rugby.

"He did not seem keen on this," Van Zyl said.

South Africa diverts hospital cash to pay for World Cup

2007-01-28T11:10:00.000-08:00

January 28, 2007
A hospital building program in South Africa has been delayed to help pay for the country's hosting of the 2010 football World Cup.

The construction of two hospitals in the remote Northern Cape has been held up for a year while funds are diverted to pay for the tournament.

Speaking to the BBC, the South African Treasury said spending on health was increasing but did not deny that the money had been transferred.

The cost of providing new and renovated stadiums for the World Cup is rapidly rising, with construction bills hundreds of millions of dollars over budget.

A spokesman for the opposition Democratic Alliance has put the budget blow-out down to inadequate government planning.

President Thabo Mbeki has staked South Africa's reputation on the success of the World Cup.
Read more

World Cup in 2010

2007-01-26T23:15:00.000-08:00

July 8, 2006
OKE: Hello again, good to see you. South Africa issued the world an invitation on Friday, an invitation to the 2010 World Cup. For the first time ever, the Cup will be played on the continent. The new logo was unveiled in Berlin with dozen of dignitaries in tow. South Africa President Thabo Mbeki stressed the historic meaning of the Cup coming to Africa.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THABO MBEKI, SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT: The coming of the soccer World Cup in 2010 will constitute a tribute to that effort which is not only a South African effort, but an effort of the peoples of Africa to recover from many, many centuries, many centuries of great difficulty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OKE: President Mbeki also said the Cup was coming to South Africa, and it would stay in South Africa. We shall see in four years' time.

Meanwhile, the director of communication for South Africa's local organizing committee is confident her country will be ready.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TUMI MAKGABO, DIR. COMMUNICATIONS/S. AFRICA 2010: I think we are very ahead, very much prepared. In fact, I believe that it's safe to say we're slightly ahead of schedule.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OKE: Can this be? That's a blast from the past, Tumi Makgabo there, looking excellent and on form.

While South African officials say things are on track, there are some obstacles they must confront. CNN's Africa correspondent Jeff Koinange reports:

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be organized in South Africa.

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the announcement that made World Cup history and gave Africa an opportunity to show it could play on the world stage:

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to be a spectacle, and, you know, a lot of people who think we in Africa still live on treetops and ride on monkeys, a lot of them will be shocked when they get here.

IDAH PETER, SPORTS SHOW HOST: The comparison between South Africa today and Germany four years before the 2006 World Cup ..

KOINANGE: But not a day passes in South Africa without some hand- wringing and self-doubt about the challenge ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And that's my concern. We don't have.

PETER: Public transport .

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In this country any kind of public transport, any kind of transport at all, and the roads .

KOINANGE: Four years before the tournament begins, the South African government insists it's well on track to ensuring a successful event.

Construction has begun to add a third terminal at Johannesburg's International airport, the main entry point for the 2 million or so spectators expected. More than half the games will be played in the Johannesburg area.

An elaborate subway system, nicknamed the Hal Train (ph), is planned for the region, but contractors have already admitted that only one leg of the triangular system will be ready in time for the World Cup.

And the cost of the Hal Train (ph), about $3 billion, has already provoked plenty of grumbling in a country whose public transport system is decrepit.

(on camera): And then, there is that other nagging issue that seems to be on everyone's mind here. An issue that seems to permeate just about every level of South African society, and which could potentially harm the World Cup -- namely crime.

(voice-over): Almost daily, the headlines here help reinforce the view that South Africa is the crime capital of the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The public perception is that we have crime levels that are totally out of control and totally unacceptable, and if that continues, it could frighten away potential visitors to South Africa.

KOINANGE: To some, that perception is overdone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have hosted the World Cup, Rugby World Cup, we have hosted the Cricket World Cup. There were no problems as far as crime is concerned.

KOINANGE: Neither event, though, nearly on the scale of the World Cup. As the scene in Germany has shown, it's the world's biggest sporting event, attracting millions of fans and a global television audience of billions.

According to some, an intense focus may even help South Africa.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think anybody can find negatives in South Africa because of the many problems, but I'm confident that the World Cup is being used as a catalyst to solve some of those problems.

KOINANGE: One thing that's guaranteed -- South Africa's enthusiasm for the events. In this sports-mad country, football is the sport among the majority black population. It may still be four years away, but already the anticipation, as well as the apprehension, is almost tangible.

Jeff Koinange, CNN, Johannesburg.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OKE: Thanks, Jeff.

Now, CNN's Becky Anderson spoke with FIFA President Sepp Blatter in Berlin Saturday. They talked about the World Cup coming to South Africa and the challenges ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sepp Blatter, we're delighted that you've joined us today. This has been a fantastic tournament. But now, we move on to 2010 and the World Cup in Africa. Will Africa cope as well as Germany, do you think?

SEPP BLATTER, FIFA PRESIDENT: Absolutely. But it will be a different World Cup. The ambience (ph) in South Africa and in Africa is different than in Germany, but the South Africans, they will organize a wonderful World Cup. And they will do this World Cup, the first one in Africa, exactly with the African touch. And the African touch not only the one which is generally identified with Africa, because South Africa is a multi- cultural country, and therefore it will be a melange of all the cultures living in South Africa, but naturally they feel pressure from South Sahara countries therein, and it will be something absolutely marvelous when football, world football will be at this rendezvous.

ANDERSON: What do you think hosting the World Cup means for Africa?

BLATTER: In my opinion, and this was my first reason or my will to go once with the World Cup to Africa is to make justice to Africa. Because during the years -- I don't speak about colonialism, because this is out of football, but still, during years, especially European football has taken out the best of African football. The African footballers, they play in Europe. And they took out the best and also (inaudible), and they took it out from Africa. To give back something, nothing. So there are no professional leagues, or very few professional leagues.

So with this World Cup in South Africa, it will be justice to give something back to South Africa, and with a lot of institutions and organizations, they want to help us to bring something else in football to South Africa. I think that we will realize, we will realize what it is -- what I call justice. Justice. Give them back something.

ANDERSON: Will South Africa be ready?

BLATTER: Ready? Yes, sure, they will be ready. Listen, South Africa -- the Republic of South Africa is a well-organized country. It's a country where we have the highest, let's say, the gold and the diamonds, and the telecommunications system in South Africa, the organization of the big cities. Naturally, there is poverty also in South Africa, but there is everywhere in the world when you exclude some of the so-called rich countries in Europe, and even though you can have a look that not everything is OK.

Yes, they will be ready, and we will help them. The football will help them. But a lot of other people will help them. And I'm sure that the Africans, they have the ability to do so. And I will tell you why. Because the market, the market, and the market being the economic partners, but being also the television, they trust South Africa.

We know that the World Cup is number one in the world now, and football is a wonderful product. But why then television and our marketing partners, they invest more now in South Africa than they have invested in Germany? Because they trust South Africa. And if the market is trusting South Africa, then how we in football, we should not do it?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OKE: Good point. The FIFA President Sepp Blatter with CNN's Becky Anderson, looking ahead to World Cup 2010.

Now, for more on the last few hours of World Cup 2006, you can log on to our Web site, cnn.com/worldcup. That's cnn.com/worldcup. And there you will find the latest on upcoming matches -- upcoming match, I should say, and joining the fun of (inaudible). That's all at cnn.com/worldcup.

Now, there's more to come on INSIDE AFRICA, of course. Join us as we travel to Morocco, where we'll visit a mystical festival, celebrate healing through the use of magic and music. See you on the other side.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

Cities Warn of Rocketing Costs of 2010 Stadiums

2007-01-26T22:04:00.001-08:00

January 24, 2007
The national treasury is being called on to make more money available for the building of 2010 stadiums for the Fifa World Cup as almost all nine of the cities that will host games are experiencing "funding shortfalls", which collectively run into billions of rands.

Finance Minister Trevor Manuel announced in the medium-term budget policy statement late last year that government had made R15bn available for the World Cup.
Western Union

Of this amount, R12bn was for the construction and refurbishment of stadiums.

Even with local funding included, the amounts allocated to the host cities are not enough to meet the tenders that are being received for stadium construction. Given the determination of the country and government to make the world football spectacular a major success, the reports of shortfalls will put more pressure on the national treasury and Manuel to make more money available for municipalities set to host games.

It emerged in public hearings of Parliament's sport and recreation committee yesterday that most of the host cities were experiencing shortfalls due to expenditure estimates that had grown because of inflation, the exchange rate and rising input costs.

Five of the host cities made presentations to the committee yesterday, reporting a combined shortfall of about R2,5bn, and tomorrow the remaining cities will present the status of their preparations for the tournament.

Cape Town's 2010 administrator, Mike Marsden, told the committee the new Green Point stadium was budgeted at R2,5bn but the preferred bidder had placed the cost at R3,7bn. For Cape Town alone this meant a shortage of R1,2bn. Marsden said extravagant tendering also played a role in the higher costs.

He and Cape Town mayor Helen Zille told the committee that while many things were being done to try to reduce the costs, there would still be a "residual gap" that would demand the attention of the national treasury.

Marsden said Cape Town was working closely with the provincial government on the stadium project. He said Cape Town had estimated the cost, based on current industry prices, at R1,8bn. The lowest tender offer was R2,6bn. With 10% escalation, contingencies of 5% and insurance, the total packages went to R2,5bn and R3,7bn. Negotiations were under way to have the tender amount reduced.

Cape Town had gone to the very limit of its affordability in the project, securing more than R2,4bn. Millions were being spent on transport and electricity upgrades. This demonstrated Cape Town's commitment to the project, Marsden said. "It is not a lavish design; it is functional."

Marsden said the escalation of costs was a concern. "We presently factor in escalation of 10%. If inflation picks up and there are foreign exchange fluctuations, we believe that this could leave not only Cape Town but other host cities exposed and we believe there is a need here to address the manner in which government protects host cities from escalation," he said.

In separate submissions, teams from Durban, or eThekwini, and Nelson Mandela metros both said that they also faced sizable funding gaps. Durban's was put at about R600m, Nelson Mandela's at R262m, while Polokwane's was at R300m.

Committee chairman Butana Komphela said last night he was confident that the national treasury would come up with a solution that would not harm the municipalities hosting World Cup games. He said the treasury had been expecting escalations in the costs of building stadiums and had been in constant communication with the host cities.

2010 stadium budget mess

2007-01-20T07:50:00.000-08:00

January 17 2007
Tenders for all five new 2010 World Cup stadiums and for the upgrade of the FNB Stadium have come back at least R2-billion over budget.

The National Treasury has allocated R8,4-billion for the construction and renovation of the country's 10 World Cup stadiums, but more money will clearly be needed.

While negotiations with preferred bidders are still under way to review the final costs, it is understood that:

The King Senzangakhona stadium in Durban is 18 percent over the budget.
Cape Town's Green Point is a whopping 54 percent over.
The Nelson Mandela stadium in Port Elizabeth is 19,5 percent over.
Refurbishment for the FNB stadium, with its intricate calabash-shell design, was also well over budget, but the preferred bidder has reviewed costs and the design of the stadium, and come in within budget.

A consortium led by Murray & Roberts was this week named as the preferred bidder to build Cape Town's Green Point stadium. Its quote of R3,7-billion to build the city's 68 000-seater stadium, however, exceeded the budget by more than R1,2-billion.

A consortium led by Grinaker is today set to be announced by Johannesburg mayor Amos Masondo as the preferred bidder to build the FNB stadium.

Only two bidders, Grinaker/Interbeton JV and Stefanutti Bressan/Tamega JV, bid for the construction of what will be the 2010 World Cup final stadium.

Stefanutti is the company that won the contract to build the SA Football Association's Safa House headquarters, although it missed its October deadline and the building is still not complete.

The Treasury has allocated a budget of R1,53-billion for the upgrade of the Soccer City project.

A delegation from the 2010 organising committee's executive committee, led by chief executive Danny Jordaan and chairperson Irvin Khoza - which includes Sports Minister Makhenkesi Stofile, Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad, Deputy Finance Minister Jabu Moleketi, Local Government Minister Sydney Mufamadi and Safa president Molefi Oliphant - will over the next two weeks visit all the World Cup cities to establish the reasons for the stadium budgets being exceeded.

"The board has decided that we should take the executive of the board and visit the cities. The first thing we must do is understand where the cost over-runs occur. We will engage in a very intensive process to get a thorough understanding. We will start by meeting in Durban on Thursday," Jordaan told The Star last night.

KwaZulu-Natal's eThekwini Metro has already indicated that the Group Five/WBHO/Pandev JV consortium had won the right to build the R1,8-billion King Senzangakhona stadium, although the cost is expected to be more than R2,5-billion.

Durban's city manager, Mike Sutcliffe, said this week that some basic earthworks had already been done and that around 2 000 concrete piles were being put into the ground, but that the city was still waiting for the go-ahead from the Treasury to start the construction.

The municipality's plans, however, to accommodate a 85 000-seater athletics stadium is a thorny issue that could further push up costs.

With costs mounting and deadlines tight, it has been mooted that the 2010 organising committee could cut down on the number of stadiums being used for 2010 or request more money from the Treasury to complete the stadiums.

Jordaan, however, is confident the financial issues can be resolved.

"The only responsibilities we have are stadiums that comply with Fifa requirements. In Germany, some stadiums were fancy and others were not. If you want to build a palace, we must understand why that is.

"We must look at what it is that we need. We are of the view that we will be able to resolve these issues and that construction will get under way at all stadiums by the end of the first quarter.

"In many instances, construction has already started. If you go to Port Elizabeth, you will see that construction has already started, and Cape Town will soon start demolition. Before you build a house, the foundation must be done," Jordaan said.

Lotto lolly limbo

2007-01-20T07:49:00.001-08:00

Hundreds of millions of much-needed Lotto rands earmarked for sport are frozen because of a spat between two ministers.

Trade and Industry Minister Mandisi Mpahlwa has failed to appoint a new sports distribution agency after the committee’s term of office expired at the end of last March.

It is believed R600 million (R300m for 2006 and R300m for 2007) is lying idle and insiders blame the blunder on a conflict between Mpahlwa’s Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Sports Minister Makhenkesi Stofile.

But it was Mpahlwa’s job to appoint the agency. No one answered the DTI’s telephone yesterday.
When approached last July, it took DTI almost six weeks to comment on the story.

“I am totally unaware of a new agency being appointed and I would like to suggest that you phone the DTI Minister’s office,” said Sershan Naidoo, Lotto spokesman.

Stofile’s spokesman, Bongi Shishi, said he did not know about any conflict between the two ministers.

“I am actually not even aware that Lotto money for sport is not distributed,” he said, although it is common knowledge that the country’s Olympic preparations lie in tatters because funds have not come through.

Without a distribution agency sports federations cannot apply for Lotto funding.

South African sport, especially the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) is in dire need of funding.

With the Beijing Olympic Games a mere 18 months away, Sascoc recently received funding from Sport and Recreation South Africa for its Operation Excellence programme.

Sascoc is still without sponsors for next year’s Olympic Games and will have to rely heavily on Lotto for funding.

Makhenkesi’s operation excellence gesture came far too late and there is not enough time left for athletes to prepare properly, so the country is heading for another mediocre performance in Beijing, a sports administrator said.

Rumours were rife that former Nocsa boss, Sam Ramsamy, will be chairman of the distribution agency, but yesterday reports surfaced that ex- Springbok rugby manager, Gideon Sam, has got the nod.

Ramsamy will apparently serve on the new agency.

Sam is the former head of the Commonwealth Games Association. Both are known for their administration skills and should the agency be appointed, the distribution process should be in operation in a few months’ time.

More money needed to meet 2010 deadline

2007-01-20T07:15:00.000-08:00

Tue, 16 Jan 2007

Infrastructural delays for the 2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa are largely due to money problems.

Most of the cities that Moneyweb spoke to said that Finance Minister Trevor Manuel’s announcement, in the Budget that money allocated for refurbishments, upgrades and construction of stadiums would not be increased, even if the cities need more money, could cause problems.

Manuel allocated R15bn for the different developments and said that if cities needed more than that they would have to find it.

George Mohlakoana, 2010 Coordinator in Mangaung (Bloemfontein), says that the cities were only informed of their budget at the end of November.

“We requested R285m, we got R221m. We then had to go back to the drawing board and try close the gap. So we changed the business plan to bring down the costs,” Mohlakoana said.

He said that the 2010 team in that municipality agreed on the costs which it managed to bring down to R245m at the end of December last year.

“The balance will be covered by the city of Mangaung,” he said.

The redesign of the Free State stadium will be finalised by the end of January and construction is set to begin in July this year and completed in July 2008.

All in all however, the city needs about R1,5bn to complete all refurbishments and developments pertaining to the World Cup, which include road works, rail upgrades and other transport, and utility developments.

The biggest hurdle for Mangaung at the moment is around accommodation.

Mohlakoana said that the city only have 6 000 beds but needs 20 000.

“We have thought of ways to close the gap. We’ll look at neighbouring towns and countries, like Kimberley and Lesotho for extra accommodation.

“Both are only an hour away from Mangaung,” he said.

“We did promise that this would be a Africa hosted event that needs to involve as many cities and countries as possible. We will also look at the use of hostel beds at universities.

“There are also new hotels being built and we’ll look at home based living - ask local people to host tourists,” he said.

Mohlakoana said that it hadn’t decided on which companies would be responsible for the construction and operation of stadiums.

On Monday Cape Town announced that Murray & Roberts and Wilson Bayly Holmes-Ovcon had been chosen as the preferred bidders to build the 2010 World Cup stadium in that city.

Apart from money or budget problems, Cape Town has also been dealt a blow because of some of the residents that are opposed to construction of the new Green Point Stadium.

At present the current stadium is being dismantled and will be redesigned.
Requests for proposals on the operator of the stadium will go out this month, Laurie Platzky deputy director general of strategic projects in Cape Town said.

“It is important to get that done as soon as possible because the final design of the stadium depends on the operator,” Platzky said.

The city is currently negotiating with National Treasury about its request for a contribution of R2bn towards the cost of building the stadium.

Cape Town cut back the stadium’s estimated building costs from R3,3bn to R2,49bn.

The city and the province will provide R500m.

In total, government will provide R1,9bn to improve Cape Town’s infrastructure.

This figure excludes additional investment in transport infrastructure and facilities planned by agencies such as South African Rail Commuter Corporation and Airports Company of South Africa.

Platzky said that road infrastructure is currently being improved between the airport and the central business district.

“The upgrade of Cape Town Station plus the pedestrian improvement between the CBD and Somerset Road leading to the stadium site is already underway.

“Otherwise negotiations on funding for the upgrade of public transport are at an advanced stage and we are waiting for Budget Day to hear from Minister Manuel what will be forthcoming,” she said.

The city of Polokwane plans to start construction on its stadium in early February.

Tshidiso Mothapo, a spokesperson for the host city said that construction would be complete by the end of 2008.

“We are still on track with the project,” says Tshidiso Mothapo, a spokesperson for the city.

“The final cost for the project will be made available after the appointment of the contractor. More allocation of funds will be needed, but no figures are available at this stage,” she said.

A total of R697m has been allocated to the Polokwane Municipality to construct the new stadium.

The budget for Durban is around R1,8bn for the construction of King Senzangakhona soccer stadium (pic above).

However, shortages of engineers and concrete have meant the costs of building the stadium have increased.

In November, the estimates were at around R1,6bn, and then the costs just kept going up, as it stands R1,9bn is needed to complete construction of the stadium.

An official, who did not want to be named said that the city can find the money if they squeeze debtors’ coffers. A lot of people owe a lot of money in water and electricity for instance – money which could be used to fund the required developments.

An insider said that a decision on the company that would build the stadium has been made, but that the company could not be named at this stage.

The old Kings Park Stadium has already been demolished and the new foundation for King Senzangakhona has been firmly placed.

At this rate, the whole country seems like a big construction site. The benefits of which will be felt many years after the World Cup.

Host cities that didn’t respond to Moneyweb’s queries include Johannesburg, Tshwane, Nelson Mandela metro (PE), Rustenberg and Bombela (Nelspruit).

Perhaps this gives us an indication of which cities are really on track with the planned developments.

South Africa begins erecting 2010 stadiums

2007-01-12T11:23:00.000-08:00

South Africa will begin construction and upgrading of the stadiums to be used during the 2010 soccer World Cup this month, the local organising committee has announced. December was given as dateline to all host cities to finalise the tender processes so that constructions worth euro 800 million would be given the green light.

And according to the local organising committee chairman, Dr Irvin Khoza, some host cities have already appointed contractors, while others have just finalised the tender procedures.

"Two of the host cities Port Elizabeth - in Nelson Mandela Metro and Nelspruit in Mpumalanga - have already conducted the sod turning ceremonies," Dr Khoza said, according to a government statement, expressing confidence that the stadiums would be completed within a short period as compared to Germany's stadiums.

He said as part of ensuring that the timeliness set for the construction of the stadiums remains realistic, a specialist task team has been appointed to set a benchmark against Germany.

Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria and Stuttgart Stadium are expected to be completed next year. Upon complexion, they will be ready for FIFA Confederation Cup matches.

Among the stadiums that are supposed to be upgraded included those in Gauteng, the biggest with 95,000 capacity. Others are found in Polokwane, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Johannesburg and Bloemfontein.

FIFA has asked South Africa to complete the upgrading and construction in 2009.

According to calculations recently presented by South Africa's Finance Minister Trevor Manuel, rand 5.6 billion (euro 600 million) will go towards building the new stadiums. Another rand 1.95 billion (euro 210 million) will cover the planned upgrades.

Australia had earlier asked to be given the onus to host the World Cup if South Africa was not in a position. South Africa was cautioned to contain rampant crimes if it does not want to organise a failed competition, a notice that was met with protest in the country.

Authorities claim to be in full control and guarantee the 2010 World Cup will be a memorable event. "Like a bolt from the blue, South Africa's 2010 World Cup tournament will surprise the world with its accomplishment," President Thabo Mbeki promised in a statement made last month.

Also FIFA President Sepp Blatter in a New Year message was optimistic about South Africa's progresses in organising the major event. "The vision we have of a successful World Cup in South Africa provides a unique vehicle to impact on improving health issues, education and peace-building on the continent as a whole," said Mr Blatter. "A successful World Cup in 2010 will definitely contribute to the fight against racism and the marginalisation of the African continent," he added.

Here comes South Africa 2010...ready or not

2007-01-01T11:52:00.000-08:00

Fifa gambled on the host nation for the World Cup, and it’s already a tense race against time

Scene One: Pretoria, a mild summer evening, a meeting of the congregation of the local Dutch Reformed Church. The talk is in Afrikaans, the speakers are white, approaching retirement, the subject is an unusual one for this crowd: football. “What can we do to help in 2010?” they are asking. They are among the first volunteers of the thousands that South Africa needs to find over the next 1,200 days.

Scene Two: an open-air market in Bushbuckridge, an hour or so from the border with Mozambique. A women’s co- operative, Swazi speakers with baskets of beads and fabrics, discuss an idea for an event that is still 3½ years away: flag-bags, they will call them, less than £5 for woven bags in the national colours of Italy or France — even the St George’s Cross, if England should make it.

Various parts of the planet get diagnosed with World Cup fever for a month every four years. In South Africa it is already an epidemic. June 2010 can hardly come quickly enough for the next organisers of sport’s most watched event. They are eagerly awaiting its festival — and its tourist dollars, euros and pounds, its business opportunities.

As for Fifa, the owner of the World Cup, the tournament will arrive quite soon enough: lately, its president, Sepp Blatter, has looked at his watch and given it a tap as he surveys the preparations. Of the 10 stadiums earmarked for the tournament across South Africa, four are not much further than site-clearing, and one is not there yet. The 2006 World Cup had barely wound down in Berlin when a few of the game’s chancers thought they glimpsed an opening. John O’Neill, the then chief executive of Football Federation Australia, seemed to be offering an alternative when he spoke of “all sorts of question marks” over South Africa’s readiness.

Question marks go with the territory. No Olympic Games or World Cup takes place without an alarm being raised over building schedules. Assigning Fifa’s modern, 32-team, multi- billion-dollar World Cup to the developing world for the first time seems to provoke the big question more often: can South Africa deliver? Yes, insists Fifa. The stadium work, as the country’s president, Thabo Mbeki, pointed out last week, is actually several months ahead of where Germany’s was in December 2002.

The finance is in place, Mbeki’s treasury having committed £840m to stadium construction and £670m to infrastructure improvement. Soon they will start to be judged by their own deadlines: work must have begun by February on all the new stadiums. In the country’s most attractive city, Cape Town, that may be tight. Greenpoint stadium, with its retractable roof — June can be squally in the Cape — is planned for a site by the ocean in view of some handsome properties, but a local civic association is resisting aspects of the current plan.

Outside Nelspruit, 1,200 miles away in Mpumalanga province, two schools have to be relocated for the Mbombela stadium to rise on community farmland. In places such as this, the World Cup will have a transforming effect. “I hope it will bring some jobs,” says Kaizer, 19, a student at the John Mdluli school, where classrooms are to make way for centre circles and penalty areas, “and I hope my journey to school won’t have to be longer now.”

World Cups are obliged to leave a positive legacy and it is legitimate to suppose that if one fails to do so in Africa, it would weigh heavier on the host nation than one that makes no lasting impact in a wealthy economy of western Europe. The tournament will make a huge profit for Fifa, whose income from broadcast rights and only a tranche of the big sponsorship deals has already reached $3.1 billion, exceeding its previous tournament income , with more rights still to sell.

The benefits to a nation are harder to specify but South Africa would expect a significant boost to its thriving tourist industry. If tens of thousands of jobs are created — one of the more modest forecasts — it will also put a dent in the unemployment figures that show a quarter of the population to be jobless.

“If it doesn’t leave a legacy, you question the wisdom of the whole thing,” says Trevor Phillips, the chief executive of South Africa’s Premier Soccer League (PSL). “There are huge challenges but I’ve no doubt it will be a great success.”

Phillips was the commercial director of the Football Association when England hosted Euro 96, so he knows a little of what a successful tournament can do to the landscape. He feels that South Africa, while on the right track, may be left with one or two expensive white elephants. His PSL, for instance, has no club in Mpumalanga to inherit the new stadium there and bring in regular sizeable crowds. “I can understand why politically you need to spread the venues out, but commercially not all of them make sense,” he said.

Commercially, Phillips adds, the local organisers have to find a sensitive middle ground that ensures World Cup events do not exclude ordinary South Africans come June and July 2010. The price of a soft drink at one of the successful Fanfest sites — big screens and Fifa- endorsed fast food — in Germany last summer would be half a day’s pay for a Johannesburg shelf-stacker. A formula for match ticketing that will not price out the vast majority of South Africans is among the organising committee’s priorities; and keeping those cheaper tickets off the black market is as tough a riddle.

Then there is the South African story that never goes away: crime. The US ambassador in Pretoria made public this month the experience of a group of German tour operators on a World Cup fact-finding mission to South Africa. They were robbed. Crime figures are falling but are still horribly high. For all that, the country’s security record at previous events such as the rugby union and cricket World Cups of 1995 and 2003 was close to impeccable.

The football equivalent is of a different scale, and the infrastructure may creak. The trains that carry supporters between venues in 2010 will not be as slick as those that shifted fans in Germany last summer or in Japan in 2002. There will also be fewer of them: rail is the one area in which South Africa’s infrastructure conspicuously falls short. Most fans will move around by air or road.

Most teams, meanwhile, will travel less than they are used to, the first-round groups being based around specific areas of the largest country to host a World Cup since the USA in 1994. Where they base themselves may be open to tender throughout not just the country but the region. The local organisers, keen to stress that this is a continent’s tournament, not simply South Africa’s, are encouraging neighbouring states to offer training sites to qualifying nations ahead of the event (and, if Fifa sanctions it, perhaps during the competition too). Portuguese-speaking Mozambique is lobbying the Brazilian FA. And here’s a prospect to raise eyebrows at the FA and 10 Downing Street: Zimbabwe might invite England to spend time there.

There are plans to set up World Cup fan sites in every African capital. “You have to bring in the local culture,” says Phillips, “and I’m sure they will. I can’t help but feel that fans who come here will experience the diversity, the noise, the colour and be overwhelmed.”

Urgent 2010 rescue plans needed

2006-12-28T13:03:00.000-08:00

Pressure is mounting for comprehensive emergency rescue plans to be implemented in South Africa ahead of the 2010 World Cup.

There is currently a serious shortage of trained specialists available to provide search and rescue operations in the event of an act of terrorism, a natural disaster or the collapse of a stadium grandstand.

Ian Scher, founder of Rescue South Africa told the Sunday Times that up to 500 more specialised rescue personnel were needed around the country ahead of the tournament.

"We need to get moving. We don't have enough staff for 2010," Scher said. He called for a "buy in" from national government and an increase in funding.

According to Scher, Rescue SA is the only fully capable urban search and rescue team in sub-Saharan Africa.

Meanwhile, the Gauteng Police Airwing is expected to expand ahead of the World Cup. And due to the need for increased security, the unit's flying schedule might be increased to 24 hours a day for the tournament.

Surveillance aircraft have played an important role in previous World Cups, particularly with crowd control.

Cape Town may lose World Cup semifinal

2006-12-23T13:31:00.000-08:00

The Cabinet should take the 2010 Soccer World Cup semifinal away from Cape Town if residents go to court to block the proposed Green Point Stadium development, politicians overseeing sport have recommended.

Western Cape sport minister Whitey Jacobs said the recommendation was adopted at a Minmec -- a meeting between a national minister and his provincial counterparts -- by Minister of Sport and Recreation Makhenkesi Stofile and provincial ministers in Durban on Thursday.

Earlier this week, mayor Helen Zille had warned that objections to the project could result in the city losing the semifinal to Johannesburg.

Jacobs said all the stadiums being prepared for the tournament have to be ready by the end of 2009 and for this to happen construction has to start in January next year.

This led to discussion in the Minmec on whether Green Point would meet the January deadline, in the light of a threat by the Green Point Common Association to go to court.

"The feeling in the Minmec was that if the matter goes to court, it goes out of our hands," he said.

The Minmec resolved to recommend that the Cabinet should take a formal decision that all stadiums have to be finished by the end of 2009 "and that if residents of Green Point take the matter to court, another venue be found outside the province of the Western Cape".

One implication of this is that practice venues being planned for elsewhere in Cape Town would not be built either.

"I'm hoping that it doesn't reach that stage, because it's going to affect lots of things," Jacobs said. "We hope it doesn't come to the point that the Cabinet takes a decision that another stadium be used."

Crime shrouds South Africa's 2010 World Cup

2006-12-23T13:27:00.000-08:00

South African President Thabo Mbeki is full of hope that his country would prove the sceptics wrong and stage a "well-oiled" football World Cup in 2010. This would only be achieved provided South Africa gain victory over criminals, most agree.

Abundant crime in continental Africa's most developed country is the concern of residents and visitors of the country, including the new United States Ambassador to South Africa, Eric Bost. He described it as worrying for crime to concern every ambassador and the US investors in the country.

Though newly appointed, the US envoy was quick to send signals to the South African government to address its fragile security if it wants to organise a successful World Cup in 2010. He was concerned that unless crime is addressed in the country, security fears would refrain people from going to the World Cup - often described as the world's most spectacular sports event.

Undoubtedly, South Africa has been among the countries in the world that are unable to control the high occurrences of major crimes such as murder, armed robbery and rape. South Africa's robust media and opposition have been pressurising the government for its failure to curb crime.

"I look at things somewhat simplistically on occasion and the issue for me is this: who is going to be interested in spending a significant amount of money coming here on holiday, to have a good time, when you're concerned about the possibility of getting hurt?," was what Ambassador Bost told 'Sunday Times'.

Mr Bost said he was crestfallen when a German Ambassador told him the story of a group of German tour operators who had visited South Africa after the 2006 World Cup to look into available facilities for soccer enthusiasts in 2010.

"They were robbed," he said and therefore questioned whether the robbed tour operators would encourage their nationals to visit South Africa.

South Africa, in the words of Mr Bost, is a resource opulent country that is tainted by negative things.

Unlike other diplomats, the US Envoy goes beyond mere rhetorics, which is why he wants his country to map out strategies with South Africa so as to get enough police on the streets to combat and win crime.

Already, South Africa has planned to set aside over US$ 2 billion to stage the world's most prestigious sports event. Of this sum, almost a quarter is enveloped to fight violent crimes of car hijackings, rape, murder and armed robbery. The country's officials have been upbeat that South Africa will organise the best ever world cup in history.

Ahead of the tournament, South Africa also plans to enrol over 10,000 police officers and judicial staff to strengthen security and judicial processes before the event.

Minister of Safety and Security, Charles Nqakula, last week asked whether safety around the event was being questioned, for South Africa has a predominantly black government.

"We don't want to go back to the conflicts of the past. Do we want people to say it is because it is not the white man's sport, but soccer, the black man's sport?" he asked.

Despite the heightened number of crimes, FIFA endorsed that the event would take place in South Africa because of its high level preparations.

Australian officials had said they were ready to takeover the hosting of the world cup if they were called to do so. Worried South African journalists walked out on the officials of FIFA's World Cup organising committee for not being ready to provide answers to their queries.

Opening round in World Cup scrap!

2006-12-23T10:09:00.000-08:00

The first signs of possible government unhappiness with the efforts of the 2010 World Cup Local Organising Committee (LOC) came at the end of last week in two separate incidents.

First, a press conference independently called by the government for the first time to deal with World Cup issues, covered matters normally within the control of the LOC.

Deputy finance minister Jabu Moleketi spoke on several important issues, notably February as the start of stadium construction and renovation.

The second was the appointment of cabinet ministers to personally take charge of the construction and renovation process for the 10 venues to be used for the 2010 World Cup finals, overthrowing the main role of Danny Jordaan and his team.

The moves come just weeks after a fight within the LOC over contracts that has reinforced the widely held opinion that many within the World Cup structures are more interested in power and potential profit than ensuring the job gets done.

Not prepared to risk the preparation process being caught up in a personality spat, government looks to have decided it will get on with the show and leave the LOC behind if necessary.

This is in total contrast with the last World Cup in Germany where state played a supporting role but the soccer officials were firmly in charge.

Ministers have been given a venue to personally oversee as South Africa faces a tough deadline to get stadiums ready for the tournament in three and a half years' time.

The high-ranking officials will monitor progress on an on-going basis and will ensure deadlines are met.

Ministers will have duties at two separate venues, giving them an added burden of responsibility.

2010 in danger

2006-11-26T10:51:00.000-08:00

Eric Bost, the new US ambassador to South Africa, weighed in on the 2010 security debate this week, warning that few would travel to South Africa for the Fifa World Cup if crime continued at current levels.

In his first major interview since he arrived in South Africa, Bost told the Sunday Times: “I look at things somewhat simplistically on occasion and the issue for me is this: who is going to be interested in spending a significant amount of money coming here on holiday, to have a good time, when you’re concerned about the possibility of getting hurt?”

Bost, a black Republican chosen by US President George W Bush himself for the Pretoria assignment, spoke with candour, warning that crime was the first concern of nearly every ambassador he had met here and of the US investor community.

He said his German equivalent had told him about a group of German tour operators who had visited South Africa soon after the World Cup to look at the facilities that would be available to soccer tourists in 2010. “They were robbed. We know this. They got on the bus, they robbed them. So you’re in Berlin, you’re sitting at your desk, someone comes in and they say: ‘You know, I’m thinking of going to the World Cup down in South Africa, what do you think about that?’ What are you going to say?”

Bost said the US wanted to work with South Africa on strategies to get more police onto the streets to fight crime.

“In the three and a half months that I have been here, I have never, ever seen a local police officer just drive through [my neighbourhood] in a car.

“I’m not there a lot, but on occasion you would think that just through happenstance you would see somebody — just once or twice,” he said.

Bost expressed disappointment at the lukewarm reception he had received from the government, especially those involved in fighting HIV/Aids. “I have been trying to reach out to the Health Minister [Manto Tshabalala-Msimang] and then, when the Deputy President [Phumzile Mlambo-Ngucka] was given the responsibility for HIV, I reached out to her and tried to meet with her.

“We give you more money than any other country in the world to help you address HIV and Aids, we give you more money to address HIV and Aids than all the donors combined, and I would like to have a conversation with the leadership in the country that is responsible for managing it and I haven’t been able to meet them.

“We’ve been reaching out for four months. You can’t have a partnership if only one side is talking.”

He said South Africa was a wonderful country with fantastic potential, but the balance sheet of positives and negatives was tilting towards the negative.

Rugby in the Eastern Cape is extremely complex

2006-11-24T15:46:00.000-08:00

CONCERNED rugby leaders in the Eastern Cape will attend a three- day indaba in December to develop strategies for restoring the “glory days of rugby”.

The indaba comes shortly after the announcement that the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality had lodged papers in a case to be heard at the Port Elizabeth High Court today.

These ask for the provisional sequestration of the Eastern Province Rugby Union in an effort to claim an apparently long-outstanding debt of about R3,4-million.

The indaba, under the banner of “Scrumdown”, will be held at the Coega Vulindlela Village outside Port Elizabeth from December 1 to 3 and is targeted at all rugby stakeholders from the region.

Eastern Cape sports department head Bubele Mfenyana said representatives from national, provincial and local government as well as community and business leaders, would join rugby administrators, union officials and representatives involved in developmental initiatives at school, rural and regional rugby levels to try to find a way forward for rugby in the region.

“The initiative is endorsed by all rugby structures and stakeholders, including the three Eastern Cape unions – Eastern Province, South Western Districts and Border – as well as SA Rugby.

“It presents an opportunity for everybody to put their heads together to formulate a blueprint – a deliverable, actionable plan – to revive and develop rugby in the Eastern Cape and to ensure that it is run in accordance with good governance principles and practice,” he said.

Mfenyana said SA Rugby chairman Mpumelelo Tshume, SA Rugby president Oregan Hoskins and the presidents of all three unions would be attending the indaba.

He said others who would attend included Sports Minister Makhenkesi Stofile, Sports MEC Noxolo Abrahams-Ntantiso, and Nelson Mandela Bay recreation and cultural services chairman Nancy Sihlwayi.

Hoskins welcomed the indaba as a means to get the necessary input from various levels of government, NGOs, business people, community leaders and the sporting fraternity.

Rugby in the Eastern Cape was extremely complex, he said, and a multilateral approach to the situation was needed.

Mfenyana said the strategic aims of the indaba included the revival of rural clubs, and stronger emphasis on school rugby, which would in turn create a more vibrant feeder system for the provincial squads of the future.

He said attention would also be given to strict fiscal controls and systems, which would enhance the financial standing of the unions, to support clubs in meeting venue and transport costs for their players and officials, and in making the game more attractive for spectators.

“A strong financial position is also seen as key to attracting large sponsorships that will encourage local players to stay in their local unions rather than seek greener fields elsewhere,” Mfenyana said.

“Prominent players such as the Ndungane twins, Jongi Nokwe, Tim Dlulane, Gcobani Bobo, Luke Watson and many other others began their rugby careers in the Eastern Cape, but are now representing other franchises.”

Mfenyana said the various stakeholders saw Scrumdown as the golden opportunity to set Eastern Cape rugby back on track, with well managed and successful unions that could hold their head high in South African rugby.

“Strong unions and clubs with sound financial and administrative structures will improve the standard and quality of rugby in the region, from schools and developmental rugby to representative rugby, which will in turn bring the crowds back and fill local stadiums,” he said.

Reality: bid to grab the Cup

2006-11-23T12:08:00.000-08:00

New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma has called on FIFA to award the 2010 World Cup to Australia as uncertainty continues to plague South Africa's attempt to host the world's biggest sporting party.

Iemma says there is bi-partisan support at state and federal level for Australia to step in should the rainbow nation be stripped of the tournament amid fears it has neither the infrastructure nor the collective will to become the first African country to stage the World Cup.

"We have an international reputation for hosting major events like the 2000 Olympics," said Iemma yesterday where he joined Australia's World Cup squad to greet thousands of fans at Darling Harbour.

"We have the infrastructure and the capacity to step into the breach at a moment's notice. If it can't come off with South Africa, and there are doubts that it can, then we are by far the best alternative.

"We staged the best Olympics ever, the Rugby World Cup and we could put a taskforce into action overnight because the quality people who make these things happen are still around."

Iemma, a devout football fan, is a regular visitor to South Africa's 2010 World Cup website and has been staggered by the lack of progress of the five designated "multi-purpose" stadiums due to be constructed for the tournament.

"All you can see are still photographs of architects' impressions of the stadia. It hasn't progressed much beyond that, which is obviously a concern," he adds. "The ball is in FIFA's court but they need look nowhere else than here.

"There are obviously pressing issues over South Africa's lack of infrastructure and the construction of the venues.

"We have big stadia in Sydney – Aussie Stadium and Telstra Stadium – which would need only minor upgrades to add further to capacity. And we have stadia in Melbourne – Telstra Dome and the MCG – and there's Suncorp in Brisbane. There are others besides.

"We also have the infrastructure, the roads and rail, the hotels and the intellectual capacity."

FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who has staked his reputation on turning South Africa 2010 into a reality, insists there will be no U-turns.

But the weight of evidence suggesting that the peak body may have no option is mounting.

Projected construction costs have blown out three-fold from $394 million to $1.4 billion and all levels of South African government are bickering over who should foot the bill.

Jabu Moleketi, the head of the government's 2010 technical committee, has warned that if construction is not underway by January "we are in serious trouble".

Iemma insists there is across-the-board support for Australia to pick up the ball should the South Africans drop it, adding: "At the last meeting of the PM and the State premiers we all agreed across the political spectrum to back the FFA if they decided to bid for 2018.

"And I have no doubt should South Africa fall over the same would apply to 2010."

South Africa's other logistical problems include:

The lack of a transnational rail system and roads that would not be able to accommodate the expected weight of traffic.

A violent crime wave that is only surpassed by Colombia. In 2004, there were 19,000 homicides.

Reality: phantom 2010 World Cup briefing

2006-11-23T12:00:00.000-08:00

The media, including numerous representatives of the international press and television, walked out en bloc from a briefing due to be staged this afternoon by the board of directors of the Local 2010 World Cup Organising Committee.

The walk-out, which will impart embarrassingly worldwide on the organising committee's ability to organise without glitches the 2010 tournament, was agreed on when none of the board members had arrived for the briefing a matter of 70 minutes after the stipulated "1pm sharp" starting time at the plush Westcliff Hotel in Johannesburg.

Tumi Makgabo, the local organising committee communications (LOC) manager, said she had made three attempts to establish the reasons for the non-appearance of the board members, who included Irvin Khoza, the chairperson, Danny Jordaan, the CEO, and Ernst Linsi, the FIFA secretary-general, but had only learnt "they were involved in a meeting of their own at the hotel".

"We have become accustomed to this kind of thick-skinned arrogance and disrespect towards the media," said one local soccer journalist, "but we had hoped matters would change once the World Cup operation swung into gear. Apparently this is not the case," he added.

The remnants of the media, who were packing away cameras and other equipment a matter of 90 minutes after the phantom briefing was due to commence, had still not been given an official explanation for the non-appearance of Khoza, Jordaan and company.

When a member of the LOC's marketing company was asked whether the members of the 21-man World Cup board of directors were "having lunch", the response was that the query could not be confirmed or denied "because we do not know ourselves, exactly what is happening".

Later, it was hinted that discussions were in progress regarding important issues that had to be resolved before a statement was made to the media. "But why didn't they take this into consideration before the haphazard organisation took place?" was a question that remained unanswered.

Similar confusion emerged a month ago before the LOC's initial briefing on how the organisation of the World Cup was progressing, with half the media only informed of the session at the last-minute and the other half not at all. "This kind of shortcoming will not happen again," said Khoza at the time. Famous last words, it seems.

Fantasy: get off my back

2006-11-23T11:55:00.000-08:00

World Cup 2010 CEO, Danny Jordaan, has angrily denied suggestions that Australia will step in to host the football spectacle.

"Utter nonsense - they must get off our backs."

That was his reaction on Wednesday to yet another report that Australia have offered to step in and stage the 2010 showpiece.

The latest move came from the premier of New South Wales, Morris Iemma.

Iemma told the Australian Associated Press: "We stand ready to step in if South Africa is unable to host the 2010 World Cup and the Football Federation of Australia puts in a bid to act as emergency hosts."

He was speaking after annoyed journalists, both local and from major overseas news agencies, walked out of a press conference in Johannesburg on Tuesday to discuss the 2010 showpiece after the Local Organising Committee (LOC) bosses and top Fifa officials failed to show up.

After waiting for over an hour, the media walked out and embarrassed the 2010 LOC and Fifa.

Jordaan apologised, stating there were important issues to discuss with Fifa which unfortunately overran.

But on the Australian offer he stormed: "Fifa have time and again stated that Australia have no chance of taking the 2010 World Cup away from us. I wish they would stop. They have no chance but they keep on and on.

"Fifa president Sepp Blatter was in Australia recently where he told them that Plan A is to host the 2010 finals in South Africa, Plan B is South Africa and Plan C is South Africa.

"I do not know where the Australians are coming from, we as the LOC have never ever been off-track in our preparations. So they are simply wasting everybody's time."

Show us the money

2006-10-29T11:32:00.000-08:00

The government committing to make available funds for the construction of the 2010 World Cup stadiums -- as Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel did in this week's mini-budget -- is one thing. The actual release of the money to the nine host-city municipalities is another.

The government said it had set aside more than R15-billion for the 2010-related projects.

The concern is now whether cities will meet the agreed start date for the building of five new stadiums and the refurbishment of five others.

Robert Macdonald, spokesperson for the mayor of Cape Town, said the delay in the release of the money was slowing progress. "We have to continue to wait. We could have put out the tenders for the jobs if we had had the money earlier. We can't do that at the moment because we have to know we have the money to pay for the contracts."

Nelspruit's new Mbombela stadium has added problems. Project manager Lawrence Mabasa said: "We have just completed our tender processes. We are busy with the bulk of the earthworks. There is a lot of work to be done here because at the site where the stadium is to be built the soil does not absorb water.

"In fact, the whole area has that problem and we have to correct that first. We also have to wait for the two schools in the vicinity of the stadiums to close for the holidays because we are going to demolish them and relocate them."

The deadlines are tight

2006-10-20T12:56:00.000-07:00

If South Africa 2010 was hosted on paper and in the boardroom, it would be Fifa's best World Cup ever.

Irvin Khoza and Danny Jordaan presented a strong case on the state of SA's 2010 preparations.

Slides were projected showing spectacular proposed stadiums, and graphs were presented showing that SA was well ahead of the game in comparison with Germany 2006 at the same stage.

A beautiful country, with the most exquisite scenery and warm, enthusiastic people, SA indeed has the potential to be wonderful World Cup hosts.

Khoza and Jordaan, the 2010 chairperson and chief executive respectively, know, however, that as impressive as their best laid plans are, the country's World Cup organisers now need to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty if those plans are to come to fruition.

The World Cup's not played on paper; it's played on grass in big stadiums, with hundreds of thousands of people following the event who need safe and secure accommodation and transport, and to be catered for.

All the host city agreements have been signed with Fifa, government guarantees have been given, the tournament logo has been unveiled and the 2010 stakeholders engaged but now is the time to see tangible evidence of the work being done.

The tournament's organising committee has estimated that R8,3-billion will be required to build and upgrade the 10 proposed 2010 stadiums; R3,7-billion to upgrade the country's transport infrastructure; and R400-million to get the country's broadcasting capabilities up to scratch.

In his medium-term budget in parliament next week, Finance Minister Trevor Manuel is expected to make the money available from the Treasury's coffers.

The time for planning and preparations will then be concluded, and it will be time to deliver on SA's World Cup promises.

As Fifa president Sepp Blatter said recently, the South Africans have the "plans, money and decisions, but I have yet to see the pickaxes and spades needed to start the work".

Jordaan has acknowledged Blatter is right: the construction phase must start no later than January, and for South Africa 2010 it's sekunjalo ke nako.

The 2010 organising committee is not responsible for the construction and upgrading of the stadiums that is the job of the local municipalities.

As things stand now, the stadiums in Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Polokwane and Nelspruit are still only the visions and creations of architects.

Once Manuel releases the money, the cities need to finalise stadium tenders quickly, and work must frantically get under way to make those snazzy stadiums realities.

In addition to the stadiums, the transport situation will be 2010's biggest Achilles heel.

It was Manuel himself who said this week that with the current traffic congestion in the country, it was sometimes quicker to fly from Johannesburg to Cape Town than it was to drive on the N1 from Johannesburg to Pretoria.

The ambitious Gautrain project will in the long run hopefully improve the situation, but its construction over the next four years will put even more pressure on Gauteng's fragile transport capacity.

The 2010 organisers have set a target of completing the upgrade of Johannesburg's FNB Stadium, with its calabash design, at 30 months; 34 months for the construction of Durban's King Senzangakhona Stadium; 28 months for the construction of the stadium in Polokwane; 31 months for Cape Town's; 27 months for Nelspruit; 24 months for the construction of the stadium in Port Elizabeth; 18 months for the upgrade of Loftus in Pretoria; 18 months for the Free State Stadium's upgrade; 19 months for the upgrade of Rustenburg's Royal Bafokeng; and 20 months for Ellis Park's upgrade.

The deadlines are tight and South Africans and the world will be watching.

SA can keep 2010 visitors safe

2006-10-18T07:20:00.000-07:00

South Africa has the ability to safeguard every person coming to the 2010 Soccer World Cup, the chief executive of the local organising committee, Danny Jordaan said.

“There is no question that this country has the capability to safeguard every person that comes here for the World Cup,” Jordaan told a press conference on South Africa’s readiness to host the World Cup.

“We will safeguard places where the players will stay, the routes, hotels, etc. The country has demonstrated its ability to manage other World Cups with no incidence of crime.”

Jordaan said ordinary South Africans had to deal with crime on a daily basis. “They need to be protected. They deal with crime all the time. The organising committee has planned everything including safety and security, the event will be safeguarded.”

Jordaan said the committee was pleased with the progress made thus far to ensure that the country was ready to host the World Cup in 2010. Construction of the new stadiums to be built in nine cities would begin in January next year, said Jordaan. Construction would be completed within 18 to 34 months.

“The demolition of old stadiums in some cities has already been completed, so we have made some progress,” Jordaan said. “But stadium construction is difficult. It rains for three weeks, then workers are not happy. There will be problems, but it will be completed in time.”

Jordaan said Fifa had provided funding for the World Cup. “All the money comes from outside South Africa. It’s not tax payers’ money so I am sure that Fifa is confident in SA’s ability to host a world class event,” he said. He added that not more than R12 billion would be spent to prepare for the World Cup.

Cement shortage holds back 2010 plans

2006-10-12T03:46:00.000-07:00

South Africa's massive infrastructure development plans, which include the Gautrain rapid rail link and the refurbishment of stadiums for the soccer World Cup in 2010, will be held hostage by cement imports as local manufacturers struggle to keep up with demand.

Cement producers Natal Portland Cement, Pretoria Portland Cement (PPC) and Lafarge are spending billions to boost plant capacity after being caught napping by faster-than-expected economic growth and a surge in housing and commercial property developments.

These expansion plans are only due to be completed in 2008 and, until then, manufacturers are having to import cement products to meet local demand. Because of high transport costs and the weakening rand, these imports are often sold at a loss.

In the first nine months of the year, cement sales in South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia and Swaziland increased 9.5 percent to 10.4 million tons, data released yesterday by the Cement & Concrete Institute show.

Members of the institute include Lafarge and Holcim, the world's biggest cement companies. The other producer members are Barloworld-controlled PPC and Natal Portland Cement.

In 2002, when economic growth started accelerating, sales in the Southern African Customs Union in the nine months to September amounted to only 7.1 million tons.

Cement producers has effectively run out of supply. Imported cement is being sold at breakeven or at a small loss but definitely not at a profit because of transportation costs.

The 2010 hysteria

2006-10-10T04:12:00.000-07:00

Yes, we have known about 2010 for years. Yes, we know that we need people to cope with the enormity of the media demands on the World Cup. Yes, we have also sat around, not quite knowing what to do, and hoping someone else would do it.

And, yes, now that it's in the media (from Germany) we can see that with our current capacity, we haven't a hope in hell of coping.

Yes, the deputy president has reminded us monthly since the beginning of the year that there is a skills crisis, and no, we are not xenophobic by only reacting now that there is the threat of importing foreigners.

So now we are going to train journalists, sportscasters, electronic engineers, TV producers, radio announcers, outside broadcast technicians, and all the people needed to send pictures, sound and data to whatever handheld devices may be on the market in 2010. Yippee!

South Africa's Cup full of woes

2006-10-06T12:08:00.000-07:00

It's nearly four years until kickoff, but the buzzards are already circling around the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Rumours are rife that FIFA has designated Australia as an "alternate host," though soccer's governing body denies it. The United States has also been mentioned as a possible fill-in. Germany felt the need to announce it is not willing to host another World Cup in four years.

South Africa's effort has been plagued by organizational snafus, spiralling costs and the general feeling that a developing nation is not up to the task of hosting the world's biggest sporting event. Several soccer eminences have already criticized South Africa's progress, not the least of whom was Germany 2006 boss Franz Beckenbauer.

"The organization for the World Cup in South Africa is beset by big problems," Beckenbauer said last week.

"But these are not South African problems, these are African problems. People are working against rather than with each other."

In South Africa, the Kaiser's broadside prompted outrage from some and agreement from others, which sort of proves his point.

The nation has successfully hosted cricket and rugby World Cups, but 2010 will be something on a vastly different scale. Several huge stumbling blocks must be overcome.

South Africa's two largest communities have a clear sporting divide — blacks generally follow soccer, while whites follow rugby and cricket.

The best existing stadiums in the country are primarily rugby pitches. Thus, the organizing committee was faced with a thorny decision — refurbish the existing stadiums, leaving an enormous legacy to rugby fans, or create new soccer-specific stadiums, which would likely become white elephants after the World Cup.

The organizers have chosen to refurbish five stadiums (including four rugby fields) and build five new "multi-purpose" venues. That sort of pricy difference splitting is unlikely to please everyone.

When South Africa was awarded the World Cup in 2004, organizers estimated stadium costs at $330 million (Canadian). Last week, in announcing their final construction plans, that estimate had risen more than three-fold to $1.2 billion (Canadian). As precious months slip by with no action, all levels of government continue to bicker about who will foot the bill.

Jabu Moleketi, the head of the government's 2010 technical committee, has warned that if construction is not underway by January "we are in serious trouble."

South Africa lacks a modern, transnational rail system. Its roads cannot accommodate the expected increase in traffic. There aren't nearly enough hotel rooms. And those are just the most pressing problems. That leaves organizers with less than four years to create a First World infrastructure in a vast, underdeveloped nation.

Did we mention that the money to pay for all this has yet to appear?

South Africa is plagued by violent crime. There were 19,000 homicides there in 2004, the second worst per-capita rate in the world aside from Colombia (a country which, incidentally, gave up the 1986 World Cup). Plans are in place to hire 11,000 police officers and dramatically increase electronic surveillance.

But as things stand, South Africa faces huge difficulty convincing visitors they will be safe.

It's one thing to build a 100,000-seat stadium — like the proposed Soccer City in Johannesburg.

It's another thing to justify it. The most popular pro-soccer team in South Africa, the Kaizer Chiefs, draws an average of 23,000 fans to a home game. Tickets cost roughly less than $3.

It's stating the obvious to say that South African soccer has little need for — and even less ability to maintain — 10 enormous facilities after the summer of 2010.

South Africa will host the Confederations Cup in 2009 — a final opportunity to prove they are up to the World Cup challenge.

Until then they will lean on their strongest supporter, FIFA boss Sepp Blatter, who has staked his personal legacy on staging a successful World Cup in Africa.

His single-minded backing may be enough to save this bid. Whether it's enough to ensure a successful tournament is another question entirely.

Nice work if you can get it

2006-10-06T10:14:00.000-07:00

SOUTH Africa’s Minister of Sports and Recreation Makhenkesi Stofile and his Swaziland counterpart, Minister of Tourism, Communications and Environment Thandi Shongwe will tee-off together with His Majesty King Mswati III next Saturday at Royal Swazi Spa golf course.

This will be during the King’s Cup, which is expected to tee-off at noon. About 100 South Africans and 80 locals will take part in this tournament. Each golfer has parted with a participation fee of E495.

Professional game run by amateurs

2006-10-02T08:10:00.000-07:00

IT IS outrageous that consideration is being given to a proposal that would revamp the Currie Cup into a top-14 competition next year. There are not 14 professional teams in South African domestic rugby. There are not even eight teams and this season’s Currie Cup competition is proof that there are not six teams of the necessary quality to give credit to the term strength versus strength.

South African rugby, as has been the case for the past century, has five teams and number six will always be the one league soft option for the Bulls, Cheetahs, Lions, Western Province and Sharks. The last round of matches emphasised this point, with the Lions overwhelming the Pumas 89-10, the Sharks toying with the Falcons 48-10 and Western Province using the Griquas 55-17 hit out as a training run in preparation for this weekend’s semifinals.

The Currie Cup, like most things in South African rugby, is desperate for a commercial plan that maximises the strength versus strength component, frees up money to keep players in this country and encourages excellence.

Currently, all 14 provincial unions get the same broadcasting deal annual allowance, which is in the region of R8m. If you translate that, it means that a union such as the Griffons has been given R80m in the past decade. There has been no return on this handout and it is R80m that could have been invested in other ways. The Griffons is are just one example of many that underlines why full-time professionals should operate the game that is currently governed by elected officials.

The Accenture report of four years ago proposed the shutting down of at least two provinces and the redefining of the other six as semiprofessional. The report after a six month audit into the game was conclusive in its finding that 14 provinces were financially draining on the South African Rugby Union (Saru).

The report recommended a professional structure of six teams, in which the professional player base would be 180-200 players — and not the current 700-plus players. The report, which cost Saru R3m, was thrown in the bin.

The South African game cannot continue to sustain 14 professional provinces. Nor should any elected officials be allowed to encourage this kind of commercial abuse.

There has been sustained interest in this year’s Currie Cup because of the strength versus strength format that ensured the top five teams played each other twice.

To accommodate all 14 teams in one premier division next year would not only defy logic, but show up the decision making to be motivated by election favours that ensure the provincial presidents continue to operate a professional sport.

There has to be a definitive distinction between what is professional and amateur in this game. Currently there is none and the only people who can change this are the provincial presidents.

These guys should be asking themselves what they can do for the game in this country and not what the game can do for them.

The 14 provincial presidents, abused for their selfishness, can turn the ridicule into rapturous applause by moving aside and allowing paid professionals to operate the game — paid professionals who would be accountable for every decision.

Gearing up for 2010

2006-10-02T08:06:00.000-07:00

THE 2010 World Cup Local Organising Committee yesterday said that it expected Parliament to pass legislation to enable the disbursement of funds on October 24 for the construction and renovation of stadiums.

This allows for the appointment of contractors by the end of the year and a start of construction in the new year.

But no precise dates were given for the commencement of work in the wake of growing concern expressed in recent weeks by Fifa over the pace of construction, with the finals less than four years away.

South Africa faces a total cost of R8,3bn for the construction of five new stadiums and the renovation of a further five. The statement contradicts a report to Parliament in July by committee CE Danny Jordaan, who said work would begin in October and costs would run to about R6bn.

World Cup 2010 over budget and behind schedule

2006-10-02T02:30:00.000-07:00

South Africa faces a total cost of R8,4-billion ($1,1-billion) for the construction of five new stadiums and the renovation of a further five for the 2010 World Cup finals.

The cost is over three-and-half times higher than the R2,3-billion estimate made in 2004 when the country won its bid to become the first African host of the World Cup tournament. It is also well over the R3-billion the government said one year ago it was setting aside for sport facility upgrades for the tournament.

The 2010 Local Organising Committee (LOC) said in a statement it expected Parliament to pass legislation to enable the disbursement of funds on October 24, allowing for the appointment of contractors by the end of the year and a start of construction in the new year.

But no precise dates were given for the commencement of work in the wake of growing concern expressed in recent weeks by Fifa over the pace of construction with the 2010 World Cup finals less than four years away.

The statement contradicts a report to Parliament in July by LOC chief executive Danny Jordaan, who said work would begin in October and costs would run to about R6-billion.

The costs included R7,5-billion for construction work, R580-million for security around the stadia and R195-million for overlay equipment, including broadcast facilities.

"Five stadia will be ready by December 2008 and the remainder will be completed well ahead of the 2010 World Cup," the statement said.

Five stadia are needed for the hosting of the eight-team Confederation Cup in mid-2009, which will serve as a test event one year ahead of the World Cup.

The LOC said it expected construction of new stadia to last between 30 to 34 months and refurbishment of existing venues to take up to 20 months.

New stadiums are being constructed in Cape Town, Durban, Nelspruit, Polokwane and Port Elizabeth. In Cape Town and Durban, 70 000-seater stadiums are planned.

Johannesburg's Soccer City, where the opening and final matches will be played, is set for a major upgrade which will take 30 months, the statement added. It will increase the venue's capacity to more than 100 000-seats.

The four other updates are at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, Bloemfontein and Rustenburg.

Last month Fifa president Sepp Blatter said he planned to travel to South Africa shortly to "fire up the organising committee".

"For the moment they have plans, money and decision but I have yet to see the pickaxes and spades needed to start the work," Blatter said of South Africa's preparations.

No date has yet been set for the proposed visit.

Over budget and behind schedule

2006-09-26T03:54:00.001-07:00

The 2010 World Cup have run into a few problems. Seems like Australia is becoming a safe bet for hosting the tournament.

SOUTH Africa’s five new World Cup stadiums and the FNB Stadium upgrade are expected to cost R9.1-billion — a staggering increase on the R2-billion projected in the 2010 Bid Book.

The Bid Book included only two new stadiums out of the 13 venues for matches.

But as the costs rise, world football authorities are becoming increasingly alarmed at the fact that no serious construction has begun on any of the facilities.

Franz Beckenbauer, chairman of the 2006 World Cup organising committee, this week criticised South Africa’s local organising committee for “working against each other”, slowing down preparations.

Municipal greed and government bureaucracy are adding to a situation described by Sepp Blatter, the president of football world governing body Fifa, as one in which he has yet to see “the pickaxes and spades needed to start the work”.

When broken down on a stadium-by-stadium basis, the provisional costs for 2010 are:
• Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth (R1.1-billion);
• Polokwane Stadium (R1.1-billion);
• Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit (R1.1-billion);
• King Senzangakhona Stadium in Durban (R1.7-billion);
• Green Point Stadium (between R2.3-billion and R3.3-billion); and
• Johannesburg’s FNB upgrade (R1.2-billion to R1.5-billion).

The figure of R9.1-billion was reached by using the halfway figure of R2.8-billion for the Green Point Stadium and estimating that the FNB upgrade would cost R1.3-billion.

Dennis Mumble, executive director of the local organising committee (LOC), told the Sunday Times that stadium managers and the construction industry were caught in a 2010 dilemma.

“We want to see the building happening quickly, but we also understand that we have to be accountable for public money,” he said.

“We have to follow the Municipal Finance Management Act, which is very prescriptive on how the money is spent. If we follow it to the letter we won’t be in time for the (June 2009) Confederations Cup.”

Complicating a difficult process is the role played by the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA).

It will disburse funds and ask all World Cup municipalities to furnish it with business plans. Critics say the bank has dragged its heels and that much that could have been done last year had been left for this year.

The DBSA was only involved with the disbursement of preliminary 2010 funds. They only manage planning funding — the government has yet to decide how the majority of the funding is paid to the municipalities.

Adding to an already convoluted situation is the sense in government that municipalities have chanced their arm on their provisional costings, particularly as the state will foot the bill.

Read more

Over budget and behind schedule

2006-09-26T03:54:00.000-07:00

World Cup 2010: the host is . . . Australia!

2006-09-06T14:17:00.000-07:00

AUSTRALIA'S plans to host the world's biggest sporting event, football's World Cup, could be accelerated, with speculation persisting that South Africa's preparations for the 2010 tournament are hopelessly behind schedule.

Rumours surfaced during the World Cup in Germany that Australia was an option for 2010 should South Africa fail to meet its construction deadlines.

Australia's state premiers have formally committed to a World Cup bid, with 2018 the most likely option. Brazil, which is planning for 2014, does not have enough stadiums to meet a 2010 deadline, leaving Asia-Oceania in pole position should South Africa be stripped of hosting rights. A joint Australia-New Zealand bid could thus become viable, with Sydney the likely frontrunner to host the final.

South Africa is desperately trying to make up time. Its government has set aside $US750 million ($986 million) to build three stadiums and renovate seven, and 8.7 billion rand ($1.6 billion) to upgrade airports, roads and railways.

Early this month the South African Government approved a special measures bill to meet the legal requirements for hosting the tournament.

During the debate in Parliament, the Minister of Sport, Makhenkesi Stofile, was eager to dismiss criticism that construction was behind schedule and that the country's transport network wouldn't cope with the expected 350,000 visitors.

A senior international football source has said that doubts persist. A group of British firms pulled out of tendering for World Cup construction work because of impossible deadlines.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has staked much personal prestige on Africa hosting a World Cup. He could change his tune if re-elected, as expected, next June. He can't make any hard decisions now, but if things haven't improved after his election, he might be ready to make a call.

Australia already has five stadiums [two in Melbourne and Sydney and one in Brisbane] that would meet World Cup standards. A new 60,000-seat stadium is planned for Perth. The other three stadiums required to host a World Cup would be in New Zealand, which is in the process of upgrading grounds in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin for the 2011 rugby World Cup.

Read more

Stofile 'unhappy' with Bafana Bafana coach appointment

2006-09-05T15:36:00.000-07:00

Stofile 'unhappy' with Parreira appointment

By Mathews Mpete and Jonty Mark

Sports Minister Makhenkesi Stofile is expected to convene an urgent meeting with the South African Football Association (Safa) this week to demand an explanation with regards the employment of Brazilian Carlos Alberto Parreira as Bafana Bafana coach.

Stofile said he will ask Safa president Molefi Oliphant, Safa chief executive Raymond Hack and technical committee chairperson Sturu Pasiya to explain to him exactly what is happening surrounding the national team coach.

He said he will also advise them to abandon their plans to rope in Parreira.

'This is outrageous'

"I'm going to plead with the Safa technical committee to reconsider their decision to employ Parreira at a hefty salary of R1-million a month. This is outrageous," said Stofile.

He singled out Jomo Cosmos boss Jomo Sono, Mamelodi Sundowns coach Neil Tovey, South Africa Under-23 coach Steve Komphela and former Ajax Cape Town coach Gordon Igesund as suitable candidates to lead Bafana to success.

"On August 1, Oliphant informed me that Bafana has a coach and it was Parreira, who agreed to a four-year deal. The next morning, Hack tells the nation that, in fact, he has not signed on the dotted line yet. This is poor administration. I'm starting to become doubtful of the whole Safa structure and this calls for the intervention of my department. I know I've got no rights to make decision for Safa but as a sports minister, I think it is correct to advise.

"Honestly, my advice to Safa, now that I've learned that Parreira has not signed a contract, is to appoint a local coach until after the 2008 African Cup of Nations (in Ghana). By then, we would have a team and an effective technical management.

"In all honesty, I'm not a fan of foreign coaches. But, as there is no law in the country that gives my department powers to give orders to Safa, my meeting with those administrators would only be suggestions."

'Every time someone sneezes, a report comes out about it'

Meanwhile, Hack on Wednesday moved to again deny that Parreira would only be taking over as Bafana coach in 2007.

Hack also said that the date of Parreira's arrival had nothing to do with the medical condition of his wife, who is convalescing at Parreira's Rio de Janeiro home after major surgery.

"I haven't heard that (he's coming in 2007)," said Hack. "I'm speaking to him later today. We knew about his wife right from the beginning. She is at home and I have spoken to her a number of times."

But this appears to conflict with the words of Oliphant, who yesterday reportedly said: "His wife is sick and, if we really want him, we must be able to bend over backwards to accommodate his needs."

Hack said that Safa would make an official statement on the arrival of the man who guided Brazil to victory at the 1994 World Cup, by the end of this week.

"Every time someone sneezes, a report comes out about it," said Hack on Wednesday.

Hack better make an announcement soon as 2007 is starting to look a more realistic date for Parreira's arrival, particularly as he has, it seems, only signed an agreement in principle and not a binding contract.

On top of that,Safa will also have to organise Parreira a work permit.

Even when Safa first announced the Parreira deal, at the end of July, reports from Brazil suggested Parreira wanted to arrive in March 2007.

Safa will then urgently have to come up with a contingency plan for this year's MTN Africa Cup of Nations 2008 qualifiers, which begin with a home game against Congo-Brazzaville on September 2.

With this date just over two weeks away, it seems highly likely that SuperSport United coach Pitso Mosimane will keep the job until the end of the year, in the event of Parreira staying in Brazil.

Of course, there is also the ultra-pessimistic theory that Parreira may not come at all, with other reports in Brazil suggesting he has had offers from the US national team and top Brazilian side Fluminese.

If this happens, it would almost certainly be the biggest bungle in hiring a coach since England tried to get the highly rated Luis Felipe Scolari ahead of this year's World Cup in Germany.

Even if Parreira does sign, Safa's handling of the matter can only be described as highly unprofessional.

This article was originally published on page 20 of The Pretoria News on August 17, 2006