By Martin Williams
JOHANNESBURG, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- As excitement mounts ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup draw, which takes place in Cape Town on Friday, December 4, South Africa's security forces say they are fully prepared to safeguard the event.
The first ever FIFA World Cup on African soil kicks off in Johannesburg on June 11. With more than 50 murders a day, South Africa has a reputation which deters some potential overseas visitors.
But the South African Police Service (SAPS), supported by other government departments, the Western Cape provincial government and Cape Town's local government, presented a united front to the media Monday ahead of the draw for the grouping of the 32 qualifying teams.
For many, this is when the excitement of the World Cup begins and they will be able to buy match-specific tickets for the first time from Saturday, December 5.
In a statement, SAPS spokeswoman Director Sally de Beer said 14government departments which fall under the umbrella of the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure have been working tirelessly for years to ensure that South Africa hosts a safe and secure 2010 FIFA World Cup.
"The SAPS, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and the intelligence agencies are ready to deal with any contingency, be it on land, in the air or at sea.
"The SAPS and the SANDF will deploy some of their key units and state-of-the-art equipment and will engage an inter-departmental strategy in order to secure the various activities leading up to the draw, as well as the final draw on Friday," Ms De Beer said.
She said flights around Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula will also be restricted on Friday.
"The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has issued a notice informing the aviation sector of the temporary flight restrictions between November 29 and December 6, and this means that the crews of all flights, with the exception of scheduled flights and state flights, must apply to the air force for screening and authorisation, at least 24 hours prior to commencing flight," she said.
Last month the government announced that more than 30,000 police officers were being recruited and trained specifically for strategic deployment during the World Cup as per the country's security master plan for the tournament.
The government's World Cup unit said a feature of the safety and security plan for the World Cup was that police are being divided into sections, with teams patrolling and focusing on FIFA headquarters, hotels, stadiums, Fan Parks, restaurants and tourists destinations.
Fan Parks are entertainment facilities featuring huge screens and accessories where large numbers of people who cannot gain access to the stadiums can watch the games in a festive atmosphere.
Additionally, special courts will be available 24-hours a day during the course of the tournament. South Africa has committed itself to one official Fan Park per host city as per agreement with FIFA.
"The fan parks we have here will be very similar to those seen in Germany [during the 2006 World Cup], and will be branded by the partners of FIFA and secured by our own security services, because it is one of the areas that will cater to the broad amount of supporters in the tournament," the government said.
There would be an obligation on the various host cities to make resources and infrastructure available for the fan parks.
"Fan parks are therefore also something that is driven by the availability of resources and capacity, particularly the capacity of the South African security services to be able to secure these fan parks," the government statement said.
"When you talk about security, we're not just talking about people being safe in stadiums, but also in these fan parks.
"To give you the figures, there were more people in the fan parks in Germany, almost six times more, than the actual people in the stadiums. This gives you an idea of the scale of importance of these fan parks."
South Africa already boasts an impressive record in its ability to manage security for high-level events, which include the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, the 1998 Non-Aligned Movement summit, 1995 Rugby World Cup, the African Cup of Nations in 1996, All Africa Games in 1999, Cricket World Cup 2003, and the Cricket T20 World Cup 2007.
