Read more on the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa
South African Police Service (SAPS)
Source(s): CNBC Africa
Football Business News
FIFA is warning football fans to beware of fake tickets for next year’s World Cup in South Africa as it cracks down on fraudulent Internet sales.
In order to prevent forgery, official match tickets will only be printed a few weeks before the tournament kicks off next year.
FIFA has revealed that it is working with international authorities to address the problem. It praises in particular British efforts to shut down websites selling fake tickets.
FIFA has reiterated that fans who buy fake tickets will not be able to access the stadium on the day of the match.
Read more on 2010 FIFA World Cup
Source(s): BBC News
The South African Rand (ZAR) rose from its lowest level in seven weeks after the decline in retail sales eased in May and South Africa’s construction workers ended a strike that threatened next year’s soccer World Cup. The Rand strengthened by as much as 1.8% to ZAR 8.1390 per US Dollar (USD) and was 1.4% higher at ZAR 8.1718 per USD at 4:59 p.m. in Johannesburg. The Rand gained 0.6% to 11.4981 Euros (EUR).
The week-long strike ended today after employers agreed to a wage increase of 12%. While meeting the December date for the completion of the stadiums will “be tight,” the deadline will be met, said Schalk Ackerman, a spokesman for the South African Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors.
After ending the strike “sentiment will improve a bit and that will also help the stock market,” said Ion de Vleeschauwer, Chief Dealer at Bidvest Bank in Johannesburg. Read the rest of this entry »
Workers have been meeting outside the stadiums
The strike began on July 8 with unions demanding a 13% pay rise and employers offering 10.4%. A union spokesman said the workers had settled for 12% and a restructuring of employment benefits. One of the main issues stopping an agreement from being reached in the past week was that the union wanted to retain a right to strike again before August next year.
Contractors confirmed a deal had been reached and would be signed shortly, with work to resume on Thursday. Construction companies will be relieved that industrial action, which could have lasted months, has ended so quickly. Read the rest of this entry »
South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup Construction Workers
There are fears that the strike, called by the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), which includes construction workers, could delay the completion of Gauteng’s new high speed rail, Guatrain, which is being built specifically for the World Cup. It was due to be completed just two weeks before the first game in June 2010. The stadiums are due to be completed by December and before the strike, work was on schedule.
Five new stadiums are being built and five existing ones upgraded. It is not clear what the framework agreement entails, but employers had been offering a 10% rise, against the 13% demanded by the unions.
Police are monitoring all 2010 World Cup sites throughout South Africa
Representatives from the government, unions, companies, and the FIFA World Cup local organizing committee are in talks at a mediation centre in Johannesburg. Apart from the pay rise, the workers want their contracts rewritten to include paternity leave – as well as allowances for food and days affected by bad weather. The employers say that would increase labor costs by more than 50%. Read the rest of this entry »
Stadium construction workers on strike
Scores of workers are outside Soccer City stadium wearing blue overalls and brandishing sticks. “We are struggling for our country,” they chanted, after downing their tools at midday. Soccer City union organiser, Patrick Geqeza, blamed management’s inflexibility for precipitating the strike. “We feel bad about going on strike. [But] they don’t want to meet us half way,” he told AP news agency. Read the rest of this entry »
The Confederations Cup, which was hosted in South Africa, showcased the best Information Technology (IT) infrastructure for a tournament of this nature and stature, and all the information was available in real-time, says Rich Mkhondo, Chief Communications Officer of the Local Organising Committee (LOC).
He adds that a comprehensive power backup plan was developed and put in place to ensure no downtime was experienced at any point during the tournament.
The plan, which included Eskom and local power distributors at every venue location, was put in place to ensure the key areas backed up included the TV compound, stadium lighting, stadium media centre, and key IT systems and networks.
Mkhondo notes the backup provided by Sentech performed successfully during the event. Sentech provided satellite backup for the event, mainly to the telecommunications networks and to ensure TV continuity. ICASA provided the LOC with the necessary frequencies and also provided technical support to monitor frequencies during the event and to detect interference and usage of illegal equipment, states Mkhondo. Read the rest of this entry »
