"Unfortunately this data cable is specialised for the sky car and hence we have to order a replacement cable from overseas," Julie-May Ellingson, the head of Durban's strategic project unit and 2010 programme, said in a statement.
Ellingson said the defects in the cable were detected before the Easter weekend.
From Monday, Protea Glen and Eldorado Park residents will have feeder buses that will take them directly to Thokoza Park station to catch the main bus to the town.
The Braamfontein line, which was suspended last year due to a lack of commuters, will also be reintroduced.
The route through the city to the new Cape Town Stadium is fairly disabled-friendly.
Cape Town tourism authorities say the city has gone out of its way to make the World Cup an accessible and enjoyable experience for disabled soccer fans.
Cape Town Tourism chief executive Mariette du Toit-Helmbold said the city would ensure that disabled fans got to the stadium and fan parks in comfort.
South Africa's transport system was expected to be brought to a standstill from May 10 as 50 000 Transnet workers planned to strike over a wage dispute.
"This will be the biggest strike in the history of South Africa," said Chris de Vos, general secretary of the United Transport and Allied Trade Union (Utatu) at a press conference in Johannesburg on Friday.
"It will make all other strikes look like kindergarten parties."
I am convinced that this World Cup has similar potential to rebuild fractured relationships, both within and outside Africa. I am equally convinced that it will do much to puncture the prejudices that, for many, unfortunately continue to define the image of the continent. The cup is a tremendous opportunity for Africa to show how, out of the headlines, it has changed for the better. There are, of course, countries where problems, conflicts and abuses have worsened. But these are the minority. There are many more where democracy and human rights have taken root, governance has improved, civil society has blossomed and opportunities are being extended to ever larger segments of the population. Four years ago, the World Cup altered many people's perception of Germany. This time, people will be surprised by Africa's remarkable progress and good spirits – and hopefully, its football teams.
"We are ready. We were ready yesterday," national police commissioner Bheki Cele said as the host country showed off part of the $89 million worth of security equipment it has bought to keep fans safe at soccer's biggest tournament.
Police minister Nathi Mthethwa watched as South Africa's police paraded water cannons, boats, jet skis, motorcycles and heavy duty emergency disaster vehicles through Cape Town's main square before the display at Greenpoint Stadium.
Qatar's wealth is mind-boggling, and with that comes opportunity. Perhaps the biggest opportunity occupying the minds of those creating Qatar's horizon is the World Cup.
Hosting the world's most popular sporting event would be a game-changer, which believes its next incarnation will be as a global IT and financial centre. Bringing the world to its shores is the chance to change perceptions. Eventually, someone has to fill the thousands of empty offices and the condominiums stretching across the desert sand.
To make that happen, white-collar nomads need to be convinced they can make a life in Qatar, not just make money. The World Cup is the chance to prove the point.
Orlando Silva says many cities did not meet the March 31 deadline to begin renovating their stadiums or build new ones. Unless they meet the second deadline on May 3, they run the risk of being excluded from the World Cup.
"According to the host-city agreement, the city is legally obligated to provide a stadium and a fan-fest area," said Thembinkosi Siganda, Cape Town's director of economic and human development.
"After a location analysis the city identified the Grand Parade as a fan-fest area and this was approved by Fifa."
Bruderle said the German firms were hoping to partner with Brazil in areas of infrastructure, organization and security.
"There is a large interest on the part of German businessmen in infrastructure work in Brazil, especially in relation to these big sporting events," Jorge said.
But Steyn said in the latest round of papers filed with the Durban High Court that this was "disingenuous and unconvincing", and asked why the council could not find space elsewhere for the traders.
"It seems it is intent on advancing, for its own commercial gain, the rights of other commercial entities to the detriment of the applicant.
"Surely the location of street traders is irrelevant to the success and future opportunities of the World Cup," he said.
The council, in its previous papers, disclosed that Steyn had complained about loss of income and asked for compensation of R1.5-million, which had been refused. Steyn insisted that his business had suffered during the upgrade, with telephone lines, water and electricity frequently cut off. He said three of the four entrances to his park were also closed off.
The committee, led by Oliphant as president and Khoza as his deputy, voted at a meeting to reward members of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) board 10percent while Safa executives stood to pocket 5percent of the spoils, estimated at between R500million and R1billion – a windfall from the June 11 to July 11 soccer showpiece.
Shockingly, associations of Safa were to be given a paltry 5 percent.
This was uncovered by Sowetan after a lengthy investigation and eventually confirmed by a number of highly-placed sources in the soccer fraternity.
The new venues would use solar power to provide what officials say will be optimum pitch-side conditions despite the scorching Arabian sun.
The $4 billion Qatar World Cup bid has been dismissed by many as a publicity stunt because of ferocious summer temperatures that can top 50 degrees Celsius but organizers say they can harness this power to create carbon-neutral arenas.
The municipality says it biggest concern has always been health issues - and those who will be permitted to trade will have to adhere to the rules. "We invite traders to make the best economic opportunity to make money from the World Cup by selling their food. We will be very strict when it comes to health regulations and they must adhere to that," says Nelson Mandela municipal spokesperson, Kupido Baron.
[Australian] fans have already marked their territory in Durban. Australian Tour Group Fanatics, responsible for the organisation of the tour, will be based at the Sahara Stadium, Kingsmead, where a camping village will be set up.
The camp will open on June 8 and close on June 30 and is close enough for a leisurely stroll to the new soccer venue.
Transport options have also been included in the travel package which includes match tickets.
In the chapter by Schoonbee and Brummer, they outline how Fifa and the Local Organising Committee (LOC), "effectively Fifa's agent", pressed the City of Cape Town into signing off a last-minute decision against the preferred venue, Athlone Stadium.
South Africa's initial World Cup bid fingered Newlands Stadium as Cape Town's venue. Fifa accepted this, but the 40 000 seater would not be able to stage any games beyond a quarterfinal. Athlone, however, was the City of Cape Town's choice.
FIFA makes the bulk of its money from selling marketing and television rights, and has already generated a record $3.3 billion ahead of the June 11 kickoff in Johannesburg.
Big companies pay big bucks to be associated with the tournament, and in return FIFA strictly enforces its trademark rules to protect its sponsors. Those who haven't paid for exclusive rights are barred from using symbols and words associated with the World Cup.
A book released Wednesday by the Institute for Security Studies in South Africa, titled “Player and Referee: Conflicting Interests and the 2010 FIFA World Cup,” details six case studies regarding stadium building, official suppliers, bidding practices and government oversight that cast a harsh light on the lack of transparency and public benefit of such arrangements.
The case studies, written by investigative journalists from South Africa and Britain, charge that competing interests among those seeking to benefit financially have left preparations for the 2010 World Cup vulnerable to “manipulation through the use of influence, political pressure, bribes, fraud and extortion.”
Many of these accounts have a familiar ring, addressing issues that occurred at previous World Cups. FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, has regularly faced charges of secrecy and corruption.
Michael Sutcliffe, speaking to The Associated Press at the SportsAccord International Convention, said King Shaka International Airport will be open this weekend and the Moses Mabhida railway station just outside the new 70 000-seat stadium will be open in 10 days. All road upgrades should be done by the middle of May, he said.
"The infrastructure, it's all there," Sutcliffe said. "You are getting a vibe happening."
Even the cable car at the stadium should be ready to go this week.
The idea is an expanded version of the original vision for London's 2012 Olympic Stadium in Stratford, which was to have been reduced from 80,000 to 28,000 seats after the Games but may now remain at a larger capacity. In-stadium cooling technology that is being developed to reduce temperatures for players and spectators that can average a sweltering 41 degrees in June – a huge handicap for any Middle Eastern bid – will also be shared with other countries that have to date found their climates incompatible with hosting major events.
The IMF's latest estimate is above official forecasts for growth of 2,3% this year, but just below market consensus, which sees the economy expanding 2,9%.
It sees the world economy growing 4,2% this year, revised up from 3,9% in January. Emerging giants China and India are leading the recovery from the worst global recession in six decades.
[Gauteng Department of Transport Director Sipho] Mbele said rail was going to be the backbone of the mass public transport, with eight dedicated trains for Tshwane and 10 for Johannesburg to be added to normal operational services.
He said that 50 days before the start of the tournament, the department's transport operations were ready and were being rolled out for 19 of the 32 teams which would have their camps in Gauteng.
Hatton said all the infrastructure projects geared for World Cup transport would be ready by the time the crowds arrived.
The ticket kiosk at the Granger Bay station was installed yesterday, and other stations would be completed over the next month.
Bus delivery was on schedule, and batches of buses would begin arriving weekly from next month.
The latest sport and recreation department progress report on the 2010 FIFA World Cup presented to Cabinet on Wednesday confirms "it is all systems go", government spokesperson Themba Maseko said on Thursday.
Briefing the media following Cabinet's regular fortnightly meeting, he said all the stadiums were ready and in the process of being handed over to the host cities, well ahead of the FIFA requirement that they be handed over 15 days before the June 11 start of the tournament.
"We have revised the figures post the worldwide recession and major ticket sales phases, and some of the numbers are encouraging," said Gillian Saunders, principal of Grant Thornton Strategic Solutions, the global auditing and consultancy firm that released the report.
...Visitors were expected to stay an average of 18 days and spend about R30 200 compared to the 14 days and R22 000 predicted before.
World Cup fans were expected to attend five matches per person, up from the 3.4 matches previously expected.
In 2005, the modest regional airport, designed to carry just four million travellers, was struggling to process eight million people.
But after five years of construction, the R2.3bn transformation into a world-class masterpiece is nearing completion in time for the World Cup.
It will give the Western Cape and the city an airport that has already been named the best airport in Africa.
South African newspaper The Times reported Friday there are safety fears at the hotel complex because plans for renovation work at the four-star The Velmore Hotel, near Pretoria, were not approved by the relevant authorities.
The hotel has reportedly invested 80 million rand (10.8 million US dollars) to meet the standard required by world football's governing body Fifa.
[G]lobal audit and advisory firm Grant Thornton says the gross economic impact of the event is expected to reach 93 billion rand.
Of this, 62% is expected to be generated pre-2010, and 38% during the course of the year.
Foreign tourism will account for 16% of the gross impact.
The majority of economic spend comes from the national government’s spend on infrastructure and some operational expenditure.
Trackworks and associated railway infrastructure are complete and this section of the Gautrain route is now operational. Ticket vending machines and fare gates have been installed and testing of the system is in progress.
At Sandton station, construction work on the multi-level parkade and erection of structural steelwork canopies that will form the entrance structure on the corner of Rivonia Road and West Street is under way.
Match, Fifa's hospitality and logistics arm, has been stopped from erecting a tent town on the south side of the R3.1 billion Moses Mabhida stadium in Durban because altered plans have not been submitted to the city.
In addition, two newly laid practice fields, which have been destroyed by heavy trucks delivering the German-made marquees, will be replaced at Fifa's cost.
Putin added the issue to March 24's meeting of the Government Presidium of the Russian Federation, and has overseen progress on the guarantees since. The documents now having been signed, they will form part of the official bid presented to FIFA on May 14.
Putin said: "The World Cup preparations will not only require a large number of new sports facilities. They will also mean that we must develop - and are certain to do so if our bid is accepted - additional infrastructure: airports, roads, hotels and other tourist facilities in at least 10 major Russian cities, if not more. All of that would remain to be used by our people for decades to come.''
Meanwhile, Football Federation Australia chief executive officer Ben Buckley believes forecasts of social and economic growth in Asia make a compelling case for his country, which joined the Asian Football Confederation in 2006.
Police management had offered to pay employees R700 per shift for overtime worked.
The union rejected this and demanded a R900 allowance per shift for its members and that they only work up to eight hours of overtime per day.
"We don't want a situation where our members will refuse working overtime, especially during the World Cup."
The union has called on police management to attend to the matter urgently as it could compromise security during the World Cup.
He said that as the airport's name changed from the Johannesburg International Airport to the OR Tambo International Airport in 2006, "so did its form and size".
A transport action plan was developed in 2005 in preparation for the World Cup, as part of which R20bn was put into expanding airports countrywide.
"... Now we are seeing the results," said Zuma.
Turning to road transport, the minister said his department would have in place an inter-provincial and regional transport system operated by the recently appointed Operating Managing Entity (OME).
"The OME will facilitate the efficient and safe transport of general spectators to and from matches."
A major component of the entity would be 110 newly acquired 79-seater inter-city buses, specially procured by the government for the World Cup.
A first-class national integrated transport system using the newly acquired Auto Pax coach fleet integrated with the taxi industry had been created.
Match tickets are a "key revenue stream" for a World Cup's local organizers, according to Udesh Pillay, of the Pretoria-based Human Sciences Research Council.
Pillay is editor of the book, "Development and Dreams, The Urban Legacy of the 2010 Football World Cup", the result of a five-year study into the long-term impact of the World Cup.
He notes that the local organizing committee of the Germany World Cup in 2006 made a profit of $237.5 million, "partly due to the near-capacity sales of match tickets."
South Africa 2010, because of a unique set of factors, may not be able to maximize this revenue stream as other hosts have done.
This is because of huge challenges to the infrastructure, leading to delays and traffic congestion.
Workers' productivity is also expected to drop as a result of people wanting to watch the soccer spectacle at work.
According to Martin Humphries, the managing director of Executives Global Networking (EGN) - an information network for chief executives - some of the country's top chief executives, financial executives and human resource managers have already begun to assemble under EGN's banner to prepare for the possible disruptions and glean wisdom from their overseas counterparts.
On Thursday Nando's chief executive Noel Doyle told Sake24.com that the motive was not profit, but rather to give the company and its staff an opportunity to share the enthusiasm and become involved in the tournament.
The fast-food group is currently negotiating with nine municipalities, following McDonald's decision not to exercise its rights to provide food in the Fan Parks.
Nando's already has an agreement with Durban's eThekwini municipality, but Doyle would not comment on the negotiations currently under way.
From May 1, Durban will be served by the new King Shaka International Airport at La Mercy, built at a cost of R7bn.
Melomoney said the sale of the old site was dependent not only on Acsa, but on the national and provincial governments. Both Acsa and the government have previously stated they will not sell the old Durban airport to anyone who is going to operate it as an airport, as that would provide competition to the new airport.
"The decision to exempt FIFA is based on the assessment that Brazil stands to win a lot more by the stimulating effect on the economy. Releasing tax money will have a smaller impact than what is set to be generated by the economy and will be collected through taxes," the [Brazilian Planning Minister Nelson Machado] noted.
"Hospital disaster plans are actually a disaster," said Professor Efraim Kramer, a Fifa medical officer and adviser to the local organising committee.
Kramer, head of emergency medicine at Johannesburg's Witwatersrand University, told a doctors conference on Wednesday that public hospitals had "absolutely no idea" how to implement disaster management plans because they had not been tested.
In contrast, Kramer said private hospitals, some of the best in the world, were better prepared and had good disaster plans. The South African government says public hospitals would handle at least 70 percent of the World Cup workload.
[W]ith a June 11 Fifa deadline for all construction in the city to cease, it is looking increasingly likely that the "Dairy Beach node" upgrade will not be finished in time. This, officials say, will harm the city, its citizens and especially Steyn and his business.
"Strict adherence to the upgrade schedule is imperative for the city," chief legal adviser Alisande Bradshaw said in an affidavit before the court.
"Should any phase be delayed, it will obstruct the completion of the project and expose the city to adverse scrutiny and criticism both nationally and abroad.
Together with Home Affairs and non-governmental organisations, the department of social development has established a school holiday programme for local children. It has also set up places of safety for children at stadiums and public places as well as interpreters for children who speak foreign languages.
“We have put everything in place – social workers, interpreters and places of safety,” spokesperson for social development MEC in the Western Cape Danny Abrahams said.
Abrahams said they would put “lost children” or “runaways” in places of safety until the World Cup is over. He said they would also work with Home Affairs and International Relations in cases where children are from other countries.
Since terror is represented by words as well as bombs or bullets, we can expect more of this crossfire of rhetoric as the global focus on South Africa intensifies.
Adebayor’s withdrawal is no doubt chastened by his stated anger that not only did the security forces fail to protect his team in an area where separatists were known to pose a threat, but the African soccer confederation subsequently barred Togo from the next two African Cup of Nations.
[Economic development and tourism MEC John Block] was considering amending the province's new Liquor Act to allow drinks to be sold until 02:00 in bars, restaurants, taverns and hotels.
The amendment, gazetted on April 7, came seven days after the province's new Liquor Act came into force, restricting the sale of liquor until midnight.
A 24-hour operations centre had been established in Pretoria to handle any problems that might arise.
Briefing the media earlier on Wednesday, Dlamini-Zuma said her department was also setting up a system to track and facilitate the movement of foreign visitors around the country.
"We are making sure we have an integrated system at our ports of entry that can assist us both in the security, but also in the facilitation of movement of people.
[A]t present the number of people trafficked to, in or from South Africa each year is currently not known, but that the real figure is more likely to be in the hundreds than in the thousands. But, she says, trafficking is a very real problem in this country.
"There is enough even from the little bits of quantitative data that we manage to get hold of , and a lot of anecdotal data from various, from a range of stake holders; it is definitely a problem and a lot of people are at risk," Allais said.
The study led by Allais is the first comprehensive investigation done in South Africa - it was commissioned by the country's National Prosecuting Authority and done under the auspices of the Human Sciences Research Council in Pretoria. But researchers said their ability to investigate the problem was severely curtailed because governments in the region do not gather statistics on trafficking, and because the team was not given names and details of government officials dealing with it.
"From the presentations we heard, the level of integration and co-operation within the government levels and the advancement of the preparations, we are sincerely satisfied," health portfolio committee chairman Dr Bevani Goqwana said in a statement.
MATCH now holds only 600,000 of the 1.9 million bed nights that it originally reserved for the competition, said Brett Dungan, the executive director of the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa, according to the Johannesburg- based Afrikaans-language newspaper.
[The country has] already invested over R20 billion in the passenger rail services for the World Cup and beyond.
“The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa is currently upgrading key stations and critical infrastructure,” Ndebele said.
The former Kwa-Zulu Natal premier also announced refurbishments of two thousand coaches, the roll out of the South African Railway Police, which are key in making the country fully complaint in support for the soccer spectacular.
MEC for economic development and tourism Mike Mabuyakhulu said they were targeting 15000 people to be trained.
“For starters, we will train 1500 people. We will be taking people already in the employ of the hospitality industry but we will also train volunteers from the rural areas,” he said.
“Those receiving training are staff in hotels, food outlets, restaurants, garages, car guards and any industry dealing with people,” Mabuyakhulu said.
The statement said information was provided on what needs to be improved for the stadium to host a semifinal, and "FIFA is currently waiting to see these improvements."
FIFA had previously said it was not satisfied with the project for Morumbi Stadium.
[Tourism Minister Walter] Mzembi said there will be no charge to watch games in the rural viewing locations, while city residents will be charged one dollar to access the sites.
Proposals included a special permit to allow travel between South Africa and Zimbabwe and a complete suspension of visa requirements for visitors from the 32 participating nations.
This as concern grows that the tourism and commercial spin-offs from South Africa's hosting of the tournament may not be as high as initially predicted.
Zimbabwe's Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi said: "The arrivals have been revised down almost to about 280 000 or so, starting from an all high of 450 000. It affects us here as well".
To add to the torture for World Cup officials while the spotlight is fixed on South Africa, municipal workers have declared an indefinite strike over wages, threatening the chaotic scenes seen last year when rubbish was strewn over the streets. South Africa’s biggest labour federation has threatened strikes during the tournament to protest against big hikes in power prices.
All of this illustrates the point that countries or cities staging major world events suddenly become fixed in an often uncomfortable glare of world attention as the big day approaches. But even by these standards, South Africa looks unfortunate. World Cup officials, led by chief organiser Danny Jordaan, have spent literally years fending off suggestions that soccer fans will be in mortal danger in South Africa, which has one of the globe’s highest rates of violent crime. Jordaan and others have repeated a familiar mantra– the country has staged 150 sports and other events since the end of apartheid with little problem, millions of tourists have enjoyed South Africa’s many attractions for years without major criminal attacks and protecting a finite event is a lot less complex than overcoming the national crime wave–especially since 40,000 police have been mobilised to do only that.
"How amazing could the match United States vs. Britain be when broadcasted live on air at a stadium packed with spectators when the sound of an explosion rumbles through the stands, the whole stadium is turned upside down and the number of dead bodies are in their dozens and hundreds, Allah willing," reads a statement the group published in a recent issue of the Jihadi online magazine Mushtaqun Lel Jannah (Longing to Paradise).
Mudslides and severe flooding caused by heavy rain since late Monday claimed at least 81 lives in and around Rio de Janeiro, the authorities said Tuesday.
"It does not rain everyday. Neither are there quakes everyday in Chile and Haiti. Usually, the months of June and July (when the two major sporting events are set to take place) are calmer. Rio is ready to host the Olympic Games and the World Cup, the best the world has ever known," Lula said.
Read more: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/317388,extra-lula-rules-out-rain-related-problems-in-world-cup-olympics.html#ixzz0kNst0Ghm
Atlanta is one of 18 cities included in the U.S. World Cup bids for 2018 and 2022. Since hosting the Summer Olympics in 1996, the city has solidified its credentials for hosting big sporting events.
But it wasn't always so. Before the Games, many didn't think Atlanta could pull off the event. The city had to improve infrastructure and public safety. Every effort was made to help visitors see the city as a destination for global business.
Similarly, South Africa hopes to use the World Cup to showcase its business opportunities and overcome stereotypes, said Donald Gips, U.S. ambassador to South Africa. Crime and corruption are often cited as hurdles for doing business in the country.
The far-right Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB) movement had initially sworn to avenge the killing of its leader, Eugene Terre'Blanche, on Saturday, warning fans to think twice about visiting "a land of murder".
But today, Pieter Steyn, a general in the AWB, said: "Our membership is very, very shocked, angry and horrified. In the heat of the moment, certain statements were made and I would like to retract those statements.
"It is the philosophy of the AWB that no member will engage in any form of violence, intimidation, racial slandering or anything of that matter. It is, however, very difficult to contain our members and keep them calm."
Lawrence Schlemmer, vice president of the SA Institute of Race Relations, told The Associated Press on Monday that the tournament can help ease tensions in the country.
"There is no reason why these things, as tragic as they are, should affect the safety of fans or players at the World Cup," Schlemmer said. "The World Cup and sport, as it is supposed to, channels passions and reconciles conflict."
Given the exacting scale of the task set by Fifa to host its landmark tournament, huge progress has been made to produce 10 venues of the required capacity finished on time, a massive road expansion programme, and rail links including new terminals built next to each of the five stadiums specifically built for the tournament. Practically, the competition can definitely go ahead, a prospect that has not always been certain as construction was punctuated by workers striking over pay. Security in a country sporting ugly crime statistics has been a persistent concern which, together with the fears that the infrastructure would not be ready, led to Fifa reportedly preparing contingency plans to move the event.
South Africa has responded with the promise of a blanket deployment of police and security officers – with 41,000 policing the World Cup alone – and the army and Interpol closely involved. Fans will be given precise instructions about which well-trodden paths not to stray from.
This is Tin Can Town, or Blikkiesdorp, described by the mayor of Cape Town as a "temporary relocation area" (TRA), but by its residents as a concentration camp. Many say they were forcibly evicted from their former homes and moved here against their will. And for this they blame one thing: the football World Cup.
"It's a dumping place," said Jane Roberts, who lives in the sparsely furnished structure known as M49. "They took people from the streets because they don't want them in the city for the World Cup. Now we are living in a concentration camp."
Domestic tourism might take a back seat during the soccer tournament, however. Advisory and research firm Grant Thornton, which recently conducted a study commissioned by the government into accommodation prices during the World Cup, said last month that domestic tourism was likely to be softer over this winter, as foreign fans displaced local visitors during the soccer tournament.
It said business travellers were likely to postpone their domestic travel plans until after the World Cup and families were likely to stay at home during the school holidays, scheduled during the game.
The firm said it expected between 300 000 and 480 000 foreign fans - 151 000 from Africa - to arrive in SA for the tournament, and spend R8,5bn. Early forecasts of up to 750 000 visitors at the World Cup are now considered unrealistic.
If they take the car ride rather than the 520 steps, fans can stand on a walkway high above the stadium and, although they can see little of the field, the view is breathtaking, if not a little scary.
Months before the World Cup arrives in Durban on June 13, the arch is being put to use as a tourist attraction and is likely to be a money maker long after the tournament finishes on July 11 as organisers aim to make up the $450 million cost of building the stadium.