Want to advertise on this site?

Contact : Judy :013 745 7169 judy@ultraquickhost.com

CLICK HERE TO CHECK RATES AND APPLY

The only affordable way to reach international clients for 2010!

Mascot for
2010 FIFA World Cup

Zakumi - the official mascot for 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa

He is a leopard with green hair, presented September 22, 2008. His name comes from "ZA", the code for South Africa, and "kumi", a word that means ten in various African languages.

Zakumi's birthdate coincides with a day known and celebrated as Youth Day in South Africa

The green and yellow (gold) colours of the character match the colours used in South African sport uniforms and can also be seen in the South Africa national football team's kit.

NEWS ABOUT 2010

Special visas for 2010 Soccer fans wishing to apply for a visa to enter the country for next year’s Confederations Cup and the 2010 World Cup will receive a special ’events visa’.

Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said the department had made provision for visiting soccer fans to be issued with special events visas as opposed to the standard visas. ’

It was the first time that such a "special events" visa to commemorate such events would be presented anywhere in the world,’ she said, adding that the visas’ special design and logo have already been approved.

STADIUMS PROGRESS

Mpumalanga/ Swaziland/ Mozambique

Over 35's Adventure Tours - Affordable Tours

Thompsons Tours and Safaris

Payless Tours for budget touring

SECURITY CONCERNS

With the building of stadiums on track, world attention has turned to security concerns and how SA, struggling with crime, will cope with the protection of 483000 visitors. According to Rhoode and Ben Groenewald, an assistant police commissioner, plans for security in 2010 were up and running and would be tested at next year’s Confederations Cup.

Both men were confident that SA, which handled a successful Cricket World Cup without incident, would be able to protect visitors both inside and outside the stadiums.

186 member countries from

Interpol gave an undertaking to help SA in co-ordinating major events.

“All participating countries are sending delegates from their own police forces to assist,” said Groenewald.

Football hooligans will not be allowed to leave their countries.

South Africa is set to spend R640 million on mobilising 41000 police officers for the 2010 World Cup finals.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN SA

The R170 billion spend includes

• R70 billion for roads

• R20 billion for airport expansion (including multi-billion rand expansion projects at Johannesburg's Oliver Tambo International airport and Cape Town International airport and the building of a new airport at La Mercy, north of Durban).

• R18 billion on passenger rail

• R25 billion on rapid rail link, Gautrain

• R26 billion on freeways.

In total, R13.6 billion has been allocated specifically for FIFA World Cup projects.

"It is always the concern that events like these are put together at huge cost and then the infrastructure is not used.

What we have seen today is that all these transport systems will change the face of South Africa.

This is the legacy of the World Cup," said Valcke at a press conference after the tour.

THE GAUTRAIN

The Gautrain Rapid Rail Link is a state-of-the-art rapid rail network planned in Gauteng.

The rail connection comprises of two links, namely a link between Tshwane (Pretoria) and Johannesburg and a link between Johannesburg International Airport and Sandton.

Apart from the three anchor stations on these two links, seven other stations will be linked by approximately 80 kilometres of rail along the proposed route.

The three anchor stations will be located at:

• Johannesburg International Airport
• Tshwane
• Johannesburg

The seven other stations will be located at::

• Rosebank
• Sandton
• Marlboro
• Midrand
• Centurion
• Hatfield
• Rhodesfield (Kempton Park)

This modern train will offer international standards of public transport with high levels of safety, reliability, predictability and comfort.

Travelling at maximum speeds of 160 to 180 kilometres per hour it will reach Tshwane from Johannesburg in less than 40 minutes.

The minimum frequency between Johannesburg and Tshwane will initially be six trains per hour per direction and it will operate approximately 18 hours per day.

This public transport service will include dedicated, exclusive bus services to transport passengers to and from stations.

The Gautrain rail system has two major corridors: South-North and West-East.