The plan envisages trains, buses, minibus taxis and metered taxis ferrying tourists to and from the airport, the Cape Town stadium and public viewing areas, and on an inner-city loop.
On match days, fans holding World Cup tickets will be able to travel to and from the stadium for free from more than 25 park-and-ride centres across the city, from as far afield as Strand.
Zille said it was important not to "pump up" international fears, and mentioned the recent attack on the Togolese football team during the Confederations Cup in Angola as an example of how perceptions could go wrong.
"They don't differentiate between countries," she said, adding that she herself had been on the receiving end of journalists "trying to squeeze alarming statements" out of her.
In an interview with the UK's Financial Times published on Thursday, Zuma said the government planned to invest more than R800 billion in infrastructure after the soccer tournament finished, as Africa's largest economy continues to expand economic activity.
The development programme for the next three years will include power stations, roads and dams.
Staff at the British High Commission in South Africa, along with Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials in London, FIFA and local police took part in the demonstration.
Sedibeng, which incorporates Sharpeville, was rocked by service delivery protests this week, with a councillor's house burned down, cars stoned and at least 13 people arrested.
Matshikiza said the police would react severely if infrastructure, including the BRT, was threatened.
Marthinus van Schalkwyk, the South African tourism minister, said: "In recent weeks we have noted allegations that accommodation establishments in the tourism industry are not responsible, and are inflating prices excessively.
"Until now, our impression has been that this is not the case, but we believe it should be investigated and the results of the investigation made public."
An internet search found that a room at a midrange hotel near Johannesburg's OR Tambo airport that would cost R1,145 (£95) on a typical weeknight will be at least a third more expensive during the Word Cup. The investigation follows an inquiry into airlines for alleged price collusion.
Hosts South Africa, who were due to use Esselen Park as their base, had to change after the president of the South African Football Association (Safa) Kirsten Nematandani found the proposed venue unsuitable as it was run-down.
The team will now stay in the Southern Sun hotel in Graystone Drive and train at a local high school.
Safa CEO Leslie Sedibe earlier in the week described the situation pertaining to the Bafana base camp as "embarrassing".
At a media conference at Sun City with 19 team coaches, Valcke and local organising committee CEO Danny Jordaan on Tuesday tried to reassure the media that the England team camp was almost complete and already had people staying in the hotel.
The English press reported this week that the England base camp was little more than a construction site, with only half of the 72 rooms ready, the pitch not yet built and the medical centre nothing but cement and bricks.
"At this stage, we couldn't play the opening game. That's a fact. At this stage, we have 700,000 tickets still to sell, at this stage I can make a list of things that aren't ready for the World Cup. We have 108 days - it seems short, it is short, but even if we have to stay awake all night, every day, we will be ready by the time of the World Cup."
"One thing I would never do is to deny that there is crime in South Africa, especially violent crime," Cele said.
But he said crime was decreasing, a point independent researchers also have made. The South African Institute of Race Relations said in a study last year that the number of murders and the rate per 100,000 have declined steadily since South Africa held its first all-race elections in 1994.
The institute, however, said the South African public still believed crime was worsening.
The new Bus Rapid Transit systems planned for South Africa’s major cities in recent years have promised to ease those hardships by providing fast, affordable, dignified travel on bus lanes cleared of other vehicles.
Prodded by a national commitment to improve public transportation for soccer’s 2010 World Cup, Johannesburg is carrying out the nation’s most ambitious program. The city predicted that buses would be rolling from Soweto, where a quarter of the city’s four million residents live, to Sandton, the region’s commercial and financial hub, by June.
"The ongoing insufficient funding is a major concern. BRTs are mass transit network projects needing sustainable funding for 10 to 20 years - we will not allow it to collapse," acting Transport Department director general George Mahlalela said.
He was addressing a packed SA Bus Operators Association (Saboa) conference in Pretoria, on the progress made in the introduction of integrated public transport networks in the country.
"It (BRT) is a better experience in many ways and interventions need to be put in place to deal with the funding matter."
According to the "2010 Soccer World Cup Liquor Policy" any "public viewing event" where matches are broadcast to an audience - "general public or otherwise" - will need the special licence to sell alcohol.
The legislation would affect anyone hoping to benefit from the World Cup by attracting people to watch games and drink anywhere "other than a private dwelling".
A new Ispos Markinor Survey released this week found that more than 46percent of South Africans believed their personal economic situation would improve in a year’s time, compared with 42percent in November 2008.
Ipsos Markinor political analyst Anneke Greyling said: “Despite tough economic conditions, South Africans are slightly more positive about their personal economic conditions compared with a year ago.”
The Cape Times surveyed a number of establishments in the greater Cape Town area. Results showed high-end hotels to be booked to near capacity, while some middle-ranged establishments stood at between 50 and 70 percent.
The five-star Cape Grace Hotel at the V and A Waterfront is approximately 90 percent booked, with all group bookings taken.
Top priorities include preventing terrorist attacks and protecting Fifa from brands trying to advertise without the football association's blessing.
Fifa and South African authorities are strictly protecting the association from "ambush marketers" - brands trying to piggyback on the World Cup without officially sponsoring Fifa.
The exercise is to take place between April 23 and 26. Scheduled flights are exempt from flight restrictions during the exercise and the World Cup.
Motsoaledi said the department of health had managed to acquire 1.3m doses of the H1N1 vaccine and another 3.5m doses from the World Health Organisation.
"We received a letter from the World Health Organisation that they are going to donate to South Africa 3.5m doses of H1N1 which will arrive in this country by March," he said, adding that the WHO donation saved South Africa about 250m rand (£20m).
The Tent City campsite, which will be erected in Waverley Park neighbourhood in the city's well-heeled northern suburbs, will have space for nearly 1,500 people.
Of these, 1,280 people will be able to rent space in 40 tents that will be subdivided into four- and six-bed all-male, all-female and mixed units, according to the City of Johannesburg website.
The arrival in SA last year of the Seacom undersea cable, which has increased the amount of internet bandwidth available, would make for a double threat.
"History also shows that malicious activity increases in a country after new bandwidth is made available," [said analyst Paul Wood.]
Tent City, to be erected at Waverley Park, comes hot on the heels of the converted container hotel slated for the Houghton Golf Course.
The facility is set to open from June 4 to July 16, and there are already bookings from countries including Argentina, Denmark, Brazil and Australia.
Members of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) protested outside FIFA's offices last week insisting that no more memorabilia for the tournament is imported.
The complaints erupted after it was reported that 'Zakumi', the World Cup mascot, was being manufactured in China. Since then, it has emerged that many other products, such as scarves, shirts and blankets, are being brought in from outside South Africa.
The province's geographical position at high altitude and abundance of amenities, including world-class hotels, training facilities and stadiums, have ensured that at least 16 of the 32 countries will be based in the province.
Some of the top countries who have decided to set up camp in Gauteng are Holland, Brazil, Argentina, Italy and Germany.
Knysna tourism head Shaun van Eck said the organisation suggested that establishments use summer rates during the World Cup.
"However, many establishments are sticking to their winter rates for the whole period," he said. "We sincerely believe that the World Cup is a long-term opportunity for us to build Knysna... to a top 100 destination in the world. Our approach is definitely a strategy to attract more visitors, and to position Knysna as a value-for-money destination."
The arena, to be built at the disused Tempelhof airport, will cost a reported €1.5 million (US$2.4 million) to construct, and feature giant screens measuring as much as 100 square feet.
With just over 100 days before the matches, the sector has to finalise preparations for responsive health services, as well as a disaster management plan and prompt responses.
The Limpopo Provincial 2010 FIFA Health Committee is pleased with moves to set up the centre as well as progress made towards the final preparations for the event.
The Committee, which met at the weekend, confirmed that Polokwane, Mankweng Hospital Complex, Lebowakgomo, Mokopane, Seshego, and Polokwane - Medi Clinic Hospital were ready for the World Cup.
Key facilities at these hospitals such as theatre operations, trauma centres and intensive care units have gone through an intensive checking process and will be ready to handle any casualty during the event.
The stadium is one of several legacy projects for 2010 and can be used for training by any of the visiting World Cup teams, said KwaZulu-Natal cooperative governance MEC Nomusa Dube.
“We are currently lobbying a number of teams to locate in the province for the World Cup,” Dube said.
Airfares and accommodation have reportedly been pushed up to unaffordable levels and this, combined with persistent crime fears and the effects of the recession in Europe and the US appear to be keeping international visitors away from South Africa - and Durban in particular.
Tourism KZN CEO Ndabo Khoza said this week there were concerns in the accommodation and tourism industries, but they were nonetheless confident of reaching their initial target of 25 000 foreign visitors over all 30 days of the tournament.
This is a part of the Gauteng department of health and social development’s massive safe sex campaign to coincide with the tournament.
Department spokesperson Mandla Sidu said yesterday: "The campaign will focus on educating people about safe sex and the role played by alcohol and drugs in the spread of HIV-Aids."
Although the train is not a World Cup project, its readiness would ease concern that existing public transport plans may not be sufficient for the many thousands of visitors expected in SA for the event.
Barbara Jensen, spokeswoman for the project, told Business Day yesterday that although the airport-to-Sandton link was not a World Cup project, "chances are very good that it can be ready".
She said the project managers would make a final call on the deadline within the next two weeks.
"From 1 March 2010 there will be a complimentary service running directly from Dobsonville to the Johannesburg CBD and Ellis Park station and feeder services transporting passengers from Naledi to Thokoza Park Station, from Jabavu to Lake View station and from Mofolo to Boomtown station," said [Rehana Moosajee, member of the mayoral committee for transport].
These routes will be additional to the daily trunk route service running from Thokoza Park in Soweto to Ellis Park, that had been operational from August 31, 2009.
The Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) yesterday pinned the blame for the commuter rail parastatal's financial woes on underfunding from the Department of Transport, and on the poor performance of some of its own managers.
In an advertisement 'open letter' to the Democratic Alliance's (DA's) Manny de Freitas in Business Day yesterday, Prasa CEO Lucky Montana said a due-diligence report on Shosholoza Meyl, one of Prasa's subsidiaries, had revealed that the group required about R1,4bn a year to run this business "effectively".
The high cost of fuel, security issues at airports, myriad taxes, the huge infrastructure needed to support air transport, a web of regulation and environmental pressures all make it virtually impossible to keep fares in check. While new technology can address some of these costs, the advances are slow, the benefits minimal.
Trains, on the other hand, have few of the hindrances of air travel, yet fulfil the same economic function of facilitating trade through the transport of goods and people. And while the cost of rail infrastructure is large, once in place the potential to grow is enormous.
The Quarterly Labour Force Survey shows 116000 jobs were created in the informal sector in that quarter, more than enough to offset continuing job losses in agriculture and domestic work.
But the survey shows that the informal sector makes up less than a fifth of SA's total workforce, so if it's the swing factor in employment and unemployment, that's a concern. This is often not the "decent work" the government aspires to, and these may not be sustainable jobs.
The SAPS commissioner, Bheki Cele, met senior officers from Zimbabwe, Botswana, Angola, Lesotho, DR Congo, Swaziland, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique and Mauritius to improve border management ahead of the finals. Interpol will offer assistance through the use of mobile passport control units at ports of entry, team training camps and stadiums.
The move comes after a terrorist attack on the Togo team bus prior to the Africa Cup of Nations in the Angolan province of Cabinda last month, which left three people dead.
Local organising committee (LOC) representative Victor Ramathasela said the country was ready to provide health services of world standard.
"I can confidently and boldly say that we are ready to provide health services of world standards and more."
Harry Been, chief executive of the bid, said: "With his reputation and enormous international appeal, Ruud Gullit's appointment is of great significance for our candidacy.
"Ruud has a tremendous football background and knowledge that we believe can be a great advantage for the bid.
[T]he Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) are yet to receive confirmation of their government's backing, leaving their chances of hosting the tournament looking bleak.
The report, published in Fast Facts, the institute's newsletter, surveyed 80 indicators for municipalities across the country. Eastern Cape municipalities - with a poverty rate of 62% - had the highest murder rate, at 54 murders per 100 000 people. But Limpopo municipalities, which also recorded a poverty rate of 62%, had the lowest murder rate, at 13,7 per 100 000 residents.
Western Cape municipalities also had a high murder rate, at 51 per 100 000 people, but a low poverty rate, at 26,5%.
Lisa Vetten, senior researcher and policy analyst for the Tshwaranang Legal Advocacy Centre, said it was too simplistic to blame poverty for high rates of violent crime.
[Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe] said the committee was satisfied with all the reports submitted to them. These included reports on the management and training of protocol officials who will be involved in the management of guests and Heads of States and Governments attending the tournament.
"Most significantly, the meeting welcomed the report that all stadiums have been completed on time. This means no spectator will sit on wet cement come June 11 kick off! No other country has achieved this in all recent world cup finals," said Motlanthe.
As the world watches, the city will also host Fortune 500 bosses, world leaders and the Time 100 for a New Global Opportunity conference.
Time 100 is an annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world and the Fortune 500 is a list of the most powerful businessmen and women in the US.
The Time list includes US president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle, Oprah Winfrey, finance guru Suze Orman and actor Brad Pitt.
Fortune 500 includes bosses of top companies like Exxon Mobil, Wal-Mart, Ford and General Motors.
This comes after traffic ground to a halt around the Cape Town Stadium precinct on Saturday, causing thousands of spectators to miss the curtain-raiser match between the SA Legends and the International 10s.
The match was followed by the main game between the Vodacom Stormers and Boland.
Motorists with tickets for VIP parking waited up to an hour to get into the main parkade because sniffer dogs checked every vehicle entering the stadium precinct for explosives and narcotics.
"Any criminal or would-be-criminal who threatens the safety of the 2010 Fifa World Cup will meet the full might of the force," Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa said.
"We will not be subjected to such unbecoming behaviour and will not tolerate this nonsense," said Mthethwa.
But the nation is still saddled with a lot of baggage from its apartheid past: oppression, poverty, exploitation of the majority of the people, unevenly distributed educational opportunities, dilapidated townships, a 23 percent unemployment rate, rampant crime, a huge gap between rich and poor, and high AIDS mortality rates.
South Africa is set to host the World Cup in soccer this summer, a decision that is still hotly debated outside of South Africa. According to the German newspaper Munich Merkur, Bavaria's club manager Uli Hoeness said to Munich's City Hall officials that he would not travel to South Africa because of security issues unless safety could be 100 percent guaranteed. His comments created a flurry of diplomatic exchanges. It prompted player Beckenbauer to say publicly, “But you would also not hang around the South Bronx in New York at night.”
"The Western Cape is losing jobs as a result of Fifa's actions. It seems that whilst in the rest of the country Fifa and the World Cup related activities are growing the economy, the Western Cape is being prejudiced," the union federation's provincial secretary, Tony Ehrenreich said in a statement.
"The clothes and mascots are being made in sweat shops in China. Traders were excluded from the soccer stadium precinct and the city centre. The companies trying to manufacture local soccer-related merchandise are being taken to court. The beer deals are leading to all beer being foreign and imported, and buses used for the World Cup are being imported, when we could be manufacturing them," he charged.
Malusi Mhlongo, a lawyer for the city, said street traders would continue to trade as normal during the match days at their permanent trading premises.
Advertising without city authority is prohibited within a 100m radius of the Fifa Fan Park and also at the controlled access site outside the perimeter of the stadium.
According to the director of human resources at the South African Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors (Safcec), Muller Uys, about 70 000 people have done civil construction work for the football spectacle. This included labour on stadiums, the Gautrain and on minor building jobs.
"Of these 70 000, around 70% were local casual labour, which is a legal stipulation, and the rest were skilled or core workers. We have to move the local component around so that they can have regular work. The core people return to their companies and are assigned other projects."
Safcec economist Pierre Blaauw said it was difficult to put a number to all 2010 constructors countrywide but there were about 130 000, with about 91000 being casuals.
The historic square opposite the city hall will be the official fan park for the World Cup.
Phase one of a multi-phased upgrade has been completed, with city officials expected to add the final touches closer to the event.
The 2010 Fifa fan fest tender was last month awarded to a joint venture between World Sport, VWV and Grand Parade Investments. World Sport is also the organiser of the J and B Met.
The project has more than tripled in cost, and R16-million of the amount needed for this financial year will be borrowed from the city's rates revenue and repaid in February when the national government allocates its grant funding for transport projects.
The latest adjustment comes after "further refinements" of the IRT's cost estimates.
The city has R584m in hand for a project that will cost an estimated R892m in the 2009/10 financial year, leaving it with a R308m shortfall that will be funded by external bridging finance of R272m.
Some observers wonder how the Salvation Army and its partner Be Heard, which have stepped up their anti-human trafficking campaign and recently launched a 24-hour toll free hotline, will manage in such a complicated environment.
But Marieke Venter, of the Salvation Army's central division, is adamant her organisation will do whatever it can to stop what she called 'new slavery', and save lives despite various challenges.
The English FA have returned some of their tickets to Fifa and sales in Germany and Holland have also been slow, amid the disconnected though still unhelpful publicity surrounding the attack on the Togo team bus in Angola and doubts raised by influential football figures such as Franz Beckenbauer and Uli Hoeness over cost and security. The last two questions are linked, because apart from the relative scarcity of available aircraft seats and hotel beds that is driving up the price of World Cup packages, fears over visitors' safety mean that most deals are being pitched at wealthy individuals staying in upmarket accommodation rather than independent travellers on a budget.
"I said it's a possibility only if other associations do not bid. It is not a decision for the executive committee to change that right of every association to bid for a World Cup.
"But the movement to go to Europe exists."
The English Football Association’s demands included a games arcade, plasma television sets for the 23 players and 30 officials, and an electrified perimeter fence.
The bedrooms of the five star complex should also have British television channels.
Sisulu says the SA National Defence Force will ensure that the country hosts a successful and safe tournament.
Ndavhe Ramakuela, director of 2010 Polokwane, said they were satisfied with the stadium and that the facility was now ready for a 45 000 full capacity crowd.
“We used these two events to test the stadium’s readiness for major games and it passed the test nicely. We have also ensured that all safety and security measures are in place,” said Ramakuela.
But that is a much happier picture than the one Fifa painted eight months ago, when releasing its accounts for the 12 months to the end of 2008. To guard against financial risks, Fifa has been hoarding cash since the 2002 World Cup and by January 2009 it had exceeded its £500m equity target by £63m.
Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane doesn't want to pay any extra cash to Gautrain concessionaire Bombela in order to bring the launch date forward from June 27. Instead, the provincial government is offering to relax later delivery deadlines for other parts of the project.
Gautrain Management Agency CEO Jack van der Merwe says there is an "80% to 90% chance" that the link will be opened on May 27. "It is looking more than positive," he says. "We hope to sign a new contract and make an announcement in mid-February."
A Cadiz Securities investigation contends that the effect of the tournament will be far more “muted than much of the current local optimism would suggest”.
The research report, by analysts Shamil Ismail and Jasmine Lin, cites data from the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan, showing that tourism numbers and retail sales may not necessarily spike. Tourist arrivals in South Korea actually declined during the tournament.
Istithmar World, an investment arm of the indebted Dubai World conglomerate, says Cape Town is "no longer being considered" as a possible destination for the legendary ship.
"We are satisfied with the progress made at the airport and I am confident that the world cup will be safe. Our law enforcement agencies are ready for the 2010 FIFA World Cup," he said.
Mthethwa was visiting the country's largest port of entry on Tuesday as part of his ongoing campaign to check the state of readiness of all ports of entry, including airports and borders before the mega tournament.