2010 World cup - Safety assurance

As a south african expat one of the common questions I am hearing this year, is, how safe is South Africa going to be during the world cup...Well here is what the South African Government has to say

Safety and Security The Government's Promise (http://www.sa2010.gov.za/safety-and-security)

The Government has assured the millions of fans who will be coming to watch the 2010 World Cup that they will be safe in South Africa. There are a number of prongs to South Africa’s safety and security plan:



• South Africa will be working closely with international agencies to gather intelligence

• there will be a focus on border security at ports of entry – including South Africa’s land, sea and air borders

• route security, specifically those leading from airports into the cities, will be a priority

• police are to divide the host cities into sections, with teams patrolling sections and focusing on FIFA headquarters, hotels, other accommodation establishments, the stadiums, fan parks, restaurants and tourist venues

• state-of-the-art information and communication military technology will be used as well as a fleet of nearly 40 helicopters

• a dedicated force of 41 000 officers will be deployed.



Some R665-million will be spent on procuring special equipment, including crowd-control equipment, crime scene trainers, unmanned aircraft, helicopters,



10 water cannons, 100 BMWs for highway patrol and up-to-date body armour. About 300 mobile cameras will also be used.  These investments will continue to assist the police in their crime-fighting initiatives long after the World Cup is over.



South Africa will have dedicated 2010 police stations within close proximity to each of the stadiums, as well as dedicated crime-investigation teams and special courts to investigate and deal with all event-related crimes 24/7.



A 24-hour multilingual hotline will assist visitors requiring police or medical services.  Border security and sea and air security strategies are in place.



South Africa's track record in managing high-level events speaks for itself. The country has hosted several global gatherings, such as:

• World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in 2002


• Non-Aligned Movement summit in 1998


• Rugby World Cup in 1995


• African Cup of Nations in 1996


• All Africa Games in 1999


• Cricket World Cup in 2003