CT 'ill prepared' for 2010

2006-01-31 15:41

Cape Town - Cape Town's preparedness to host soccer matches during the 2010 World Cup is being jeopardised by conflict between sports bodies and city officials, says the DA.

"Conflict between city officials and sports bodies over where the Cape Town events should be held has become a serious stumbling block," DA mayoral candidate Helen Zille said in a statement on Tuesday.

The DA had received warnings from city officials that "as a result of these conflicts and other problems, both here and in other metros around our country, we could risk losing the event altogether".

Among the problems Zille said the officials - whom she did not name - had brought to her attention, were:

New stadium developments would cost too much, and not be completed on time.

Problems of accommodation and transport for athletes, their families and spectators at Swartlip, near Khayelitsha, where the city planned to build a practice stadium, even though the immediate area lacked proper infrastructure and was a crime hotspot.

Public transport, which needed to be improved dramatically in Cape Town before the 2010 event.

Staff and equipment shortages in the emergency services would leave them ill-prepared for the increased demands of the event.

Cape Town's electrical infrastructure, which needed to be overhauled, and the city's increasing electricity demand met, if South Africa was to avoid becoming an international laughing stock during the World Cup.

Zille said she had submitted parliamentary questions to Sports Minister Makhenkesi Stofile on the progress of Cape Town and other cities in preparing for the event.

- SAPA