2010 World Cup Volunteer Applications Exceed Targets

Only a week after the recruitment drive for 2010 World Cup volunteers launched, South Africa has already received more than 15,000 applicants.

By the start of this week, the organizing committee had received applications from prospective volunteers in 133 countries, a South African government statement said. They included 482 applications to volunteer at the World Cup final draw in Cape Town in December.

The volunteer program is open to those who will be over the age of 18 on March 1 next year.

A total of 15,000 volunteers are required, of which 10 per cent must be from Africa, 10 per cent international volunteers and the rest to be selected from South Africa.

Danny Jordaan, CEO of the World Cup organizers, said the committee was delighted with the response and enthusiasm from people wanting to play their part in helping to successfully deliver Africa's first World Cup.

The organizing committee will continue to accept applications until August 31.

“We encourage people to continue to apply until the end of August to ensure we have the strongest possible volunteers to assist in all functional areas,” Jordaan said.

“Language support, in particular, will be very important, especially when it comes to assisting foreign fans that will follow their teams to the tournament.”

Organizers also released a breakdown of the number of applications from people wanting to become volunteers at specific venues. Johannesburg's Soccer City Stadium tops the list with 2,932 applications, followed by Loftus Versfeld and Ellis Park with 2,268 and 2,247 respectively.

Volunteers will be utilized in areas such as transport, media, marketing, logistics, accreditation, spectator services, language support, administration and hospitality at the tournament's 10 stadiums and in the nine host cities.

South Africa Strike Threatens 2010 World Cup Projects

Industrial unrest is continuing to pose a threat to World Cup projects in South Africa as municipal workers downed tools for a second day and protests for higher pay turned violent.

The South African Municipal Workers Union said protest marches would continue around the country to press workers' demands for a wage increase of 15 percent.

Nearly 30 strikers were arrested in Johannesburg on Monday as protesters looted shops, harassed passers-by and dumped rubbish in the streets. At least 12 people were injured when police fired rubber bullets to disperse demonstrators.

Unions representing more than 150,000 government workers went on strike in the latest wave of protests to hit South Africa. They are demanding higher pay after inflation last year soared to a high of 13.7 per cent before easing to eight per cent.

Concerns Over Human Trafficking

The World Cup is likely to see an increase in human trafficking and prostitution in South Africa, according to the country’s U.S. ambassador Luis CdeBaca.

“With the 2010 we might see an uptake of prostitution and brothels moving closer to the sites... pimping of children is also on the cards,” he is quoted as saying by the South Africa Press Agency.

CdeBaca noted at a Pretoria briefing on human trafficking that 12.3 million people across the world had been victims of trafficking, citing recently released figures for 2008.

“Most of the victims were lured by traffickers offering jobs, once in a foreign country they were abused and left with no protection,” he said.

CdeBaca said destitute men, women and children were kept as slaves, or worked as domestic workers or farm laborers, and at times were forced into prostitution to earn money for their traffickers.

He urged the need for law enforcement agencies to work with civil society to combat human trafficking. According to the U.S. State Department Trafficking in Persons Report June 2008, South Africa is a source, transit and destination country for trafficked men, women and children.

Cruise Ship Could Become Floating Hotel for World Cup

The owners of the QE2 cruise ship are reportedly in final talks to move the vessel to Cape Town in South Africa to serve as a hotel during the 2010 World Cup.

Cunard sold the U.K-based liner for $81.87m to the United Arab Emirates real estate developer Nakheel. It has put on hold plans to refurbish the ship and open it as a floating hotel in Dubai.

The QE2 will now go to the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town, where there is a shortage of hotel rooms. Nakheel has a financial interest in the South African port and says the ship will remain in Cape Town for 18 months.

“It has been our intention for some time to provide a short-term opportunity to enjoy QE2 as a stationary hotel in her current condition before refurbishment begins,” a spokesman from the firm told the BBC.

“It is clear that Cape Town provides the best opportunity for us to open QE2 to visitors as quickly as possible. In addition, the forthcoming 2010 Football World Cup makes a sensible business case for moving her there.”

Nakheel’s spokesman said the company had received the support of the tourism minister in South Africa and “we will work in collaboration with the authorities to finalize plans for getting her there.”

Briefs...

... Seacom’s fibre-optic cable network, linking Africa with Asia and Europe, became operational last week after the initial launch was delayed due to pirate activity on the African coast. The 1.28 Terabyte submarine cable network, spanning 17,000 km, will bring a dramatic improvement to broadband on the continent ahead of next year’s World Cup.

... Japan will travel to South Africa in November to play the World Cup host in a friendly match as part of the build-up to next year’s tournament. National team head coach Takeshi Okada said he expected to call up his Europe-based players for the Nov. 14 match at the 70,000-seater Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, a venue for one of the World Cup semifinals.

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