Will South Africa be Ready for FIFA 2010?

South Africa is gearing itself up to host the biggest show on earth and, according to the latest reports from the host cities, all is going to plan.

The South African government has injected almost R30 billion into upgrading and constructing new stadiums, refurbishing the infrastructure, laying brand new undersea cabling, recruiting thousands of extra policemen and creating a sustainable and efficient public transport system in all of the venues.

Billions spent on international airport upgrades
The Airport Company of South Africa (ACSA) is ploughing R19.5 billion into Airport upgrades, including the construction of brand new 2010 terminals, designed specifically to deal with the hundreds of thousands of fans expected to barrel into the country next year.

Special flights will be scheduled to link the major cities so that fans can follow their chosen teams around. An integrated bus rapid transport system will then kick in at the airports, ferrying guests directly to the stadium or to their hotels. Over 2000 luxury and standard buses, 60 train sets, 1000 bus coaches and 1400 luxury coaches have already been acquired for this purpose.

Car rental companies are beefing up their fleets
Car rental companies in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban and Port Elizabeth are increasing their fleets in anticipation of massive demand, and wisely so. With a remarkably good road network and excellent navigational signage, car hire is expected to be the preferred choice of many visitors to the country.

All of the new stadiums will be complete by February next year and the existing stadiums have already undergone major facelifts in time to host the Confederations Cup.

A new undersea cable will connect Africa to the rest of the world
The city of Cape Town will host the live draw on December 4, which is expected to be watched live by a TV audience of over 700 million people. Government has already forked out R2 billion to provide telecommunications for 2010 and a submarine cable is under construction that will connect Africa with the rest of the world.

The department of Home Affairs is beefing up its infrastructure at ports of entry to accommodate fans from all over the world and there will be plenty of accommodation up for grabs at all the major centres. In Cape Town, for instance, eight new hotels are under construction in the city centre, increasing available hotel rooms to over 16 000.

Base camps for visiting teams have already been identified, with special emphasis on team requirements, such as training facilities, internet connectivity, medical care, transport and other crucial needs.

41 000 additional policemen recruited
There will be an additional 41 000 policemen on the beat to protect football fans and private security companies have also been earmarked to protect the teams, stadiums and kit.

Of the 3 million tickets available, 630 000 have already been sold - 30 880 to Germany alone. Anyone out there who has any doubts that South Africa will host one of the most successful FIFA World Cups the world as ever seen had best get their head read.

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