Background_Info_on_Sa_for_2010_World_Cup

Background Information on Gauteng • Population (2005) – 19, 2 % of South Africa - 9 029 000 • Area = 16 548km2 • 82, 7 % of population with electricity • 25, 9 doctors per 100 000 people Stadiums: Gauteng is host to three Official Fifa 2010 world cup stadiums: Loftus Versfeld – Built in 1906, used to accommodate multiple sports events, after 2010 upgrades are complete it will be able to hold 49 365 people Soccer City – Built in 1987 to serve as a football sports ground this venue will undergo major modifications to increase its capacity to near 88 500 Ellis Park Stadium – Built in 1982 this stadium is already ready to host the world cup with its 61 639 seats Host Cities: Gauteng’s three stadiums are each situated in differing locations: The Loftus Versfeld stadium is situated in Tshwane (recently renamed from Pretoria). Tshwane is the national capital of South Africa and it serves as the executive (administrative) capital. Tshwane contains the union buildings, many well known universities (Unisa, Tuks) and the national botanical gardens. Ellis Park stadium is located in central Johannesburg which is well known as the economic center of South Africa. Johannesburg is often referred to as Jozi, Joburg or Egoli (place of Gold – because the city was founded on income produced by gold mines) Soccer City is also located in Johannesburg but is part of Soweto (the south western townships). This area is known for its strong cultural heritage and its references to the apartheid era of South Africa. Weather and Climate Gauteng climate is mostly affected by altitude Joburg at 1 700 m above sea level and Tshwane at 1 330 m above sea level. Despite being at a subtropical latitude Gauteng climate is cooler than one would expect. Most precipitation occurs in short afternoon bursts (convectional rainfall) which are often accompanied by thunderstorms. In winter the average temperature drops extensively and frost and hail are often experienced. As the World cup will be hosted in June (southern hemisphere winter) the weather should be cold but not unpleasant as most tourists are from colder climates. Joburg’s average winter temperature is min 4°C and max 16°C. Pretoria’s average winter temperature is min 5°C max 19°C Accommodation/ Tourism The Fifa Inspection team states that “there are enough hotel rooms to accommodate everyone taking part in the Fifa world cup, including media representatives and fans from around the world” Along with hotel accommodation many B&B have been established and numerous South African citizens are going to rent out their houses to tourists. For athletes the South African government has purchased a mass of temporary shelters. They are using the need for accommodation to further their low cost housing project (i.e. they are using funds from the Fifa world cup to build cheap housing units which they will give to people promised houses many years ago by the ANC) In terms of tourism Gauteng has many places of interest which will attract tourists to choose Gauteng: • The Union Buildings • Pretoria National Botanical Garden • The National Zoological Gardens of South Africa • Church Square • Marabastad • Menlyn Park • Voortrekker Monument • Groenkloof Nature Reserve • Rietvlei Nature Reserve • Moreletaspruit Nature Reserve • Faerie Glen Nature Reserve • Wonderboom Nature Reserve • AECI Dynamite Factory Museum • Adler Museum of Medicine • Apartheid museum • Constitution Hill • Hector Peterson Museum • James Hall Transport Museum • Johannesburg Art Gallery • Madiba Freedom Museum • Museum Africa • Origins Centre Museum • Bernberg Fashion Museum • South African National Museum of Military History • Zoology Museum Infrastructure/ Transport South Africa is building 5 new stadiums: • The Mbombela Stadium - Nelspruit • Peter Mokaba Stadium - Polokwane • Moses Mabhida Stadium - Durban • Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium – Port Elizabeth • Green Point Stadium – Cape Town These stadiums are all built specifically for the Fifa 2010 world cup along with renovations to all existing stadiums ranging from simple maintenance and refurbishing to adding entire levels of seating arrangements (Soccer City – Soweto) A large problem foreseen by Fifa was the lack of good quality public transport in SA. This is being resolved in Gauteng by: • The renovation refurbishment and complete addition of roadways all across the country (predominantly toll roads) this is helping SA reach the required traffic regulations set out by Fifa • The Gautrain project – This mono rail multi carriage locomotive will be an effective way of transporting mass groups of tourists, soccer players and locals to and from venues • The Rea Vaya project whereby buses can be established as a top means of public transport • O.R. Tambo international has been extended to accommodate a huge influx in customers and many planes have been upgraded to handle the heavy load of tourists Safety/Security The South African government has promised the following to combat the crime levels in Gauteng: • Police will be divided into the host cities with teams focusing on FIFA headquarters, hotels, other accommodation establishments, the stadiums, fan parks, restaurants and tourist venue • The use of state-of-the-art information and communication military technology • A fleet of nearly 40 helicopters (S.A) • A dedicated force of 41 000 police officers will be deployed (S.A) • R665-million will be spent on procuring special equipment, including crowd-control equipment, crime scene trainers and unmanned aircraft • 10 water cannons and 100 BMWs for highway patrol • Up-to-date body armour for all their officers • 300 mobile cameras and four mobile command centres at a cost of around R6 million each. And the best thing about these costs is that these investments will continue to assist the police in their crime-fighting initiatives long after the World Cup is over.