South Africa Security Briefing – 2010 FIFA World Cup

June 2, 2010 - PRLog -- With the 2010 FIFA World Cup less than two weeks away, South Africa’s beefed-up security infrastructure recently put on a show to demonstrate its strength in a May 17th parade in Johannesburg.  As South Africa demonstrates its security capabilities, travelers are advised to exercise a high level aof caution.

TERRORIST THREAT EXPOSED
◦ On May 17, 2010, Iraqi officials announced an arrest in connection with a suspected terrorist attack being planned against Dutch and Danish soccer teams. As of May 25, AP sources reported that Al Qaeda has denounced plans of a terrorist attack at the FIFA World Cup and South African police also questioned the validity of the claims.  The plans allegedly were in response to perceived anti-Islamic actions by Dutch and Danish media.  The plots were described as focused primarily on the Dutch and Danish teams, with attacks on Dutch and Danish fans if the teams were deemed to be inaccessible.

◦ TAM-C analysts—from Targeted Actionable Monitoring Center (TAM-C) of the Institute of Terrorism Research and Response—have reported prior communications from Al Qaeda about the possibility of an attack using a dirty bomb.  

◦ Due to Al Qaeda communications intercepted, sources providing risk assessments for the World Cup indicate that the risk of attack is considered “low” to “moderate” with Cape Town being a possible source of attack.  

AIRPORT TRAVEL
◦ Airports have been set up to host operations 24/7 for increased travel activity.  Travelers are advised to arrive early for check-in and departure, in particular at smaller airports like Bloemfontein and Polokwane,  Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) which handles airport operational support for all airports in South Africa, has expanded passenger loading, fueling, baggage handling and other activities at all airports, but smaller airports have newer operational set-ups and less overall experience than larger airports in handling the expected increases in travel volume.  

◦ In May, Radio 702 reporters in South Africa reported being able to breach airport security for three months by getting razors and knives through airport security checkpoints.  Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), the firm providing airports security checkpoint services, reported that existing procedures would be reviewed and tightened.  

ROAD TRAVEL BETWEEN CITIES

◦ South Africa has a well-developed highway infrastructure and recently spent US$1.6 4 billion to improve road and public transport infrastructure.

◦ Unfortunately, the infrastructure projects envisaged for the World Cup are still not complete with crews still working on key interchanges.

◦ It is estimated that more than 80% of roads are beyond their 20-year life-expectancy, and more rural areas of South Africa are gravel roads.  Drivers are urged to watch for potholes and other road impediments.  Driving at night is particularly hazardous.

◦ There are many unofficial settlements that are not marked on main roads.   There are no traffic signals posted and drivers may encounter user-created pedestrian and bike crossings in these areas.

◦ Do not rely on outdated travel information since many South African cities have newer names that reflect South African roots.  This includes Bloemfontain which is now officially Mangaung and the gradual (and contested) changing of the name for greater Pretoria to “Tshwane.”  As signs and World Cup literature may use old and new names, be aware of cities with name changes.

TRAVELING TO STADIUMS ON GAME DAY
◦ Each stadium has designated parking, but not enough to accommodate the number of visitors for each match.  For example, Soccer City in Johannesburg has 15,000 official parking spots but seats 97,000 people.  Driving to the stadiums is not recommended and international visitors are strongly advised to use a vetted car service.

◦ There will be Park & Rides and Park & Walks zones set up for fans with official World Cup tickets. Officially there are also buses and rail systems that will take fans to games, although the infrastructure is untested.   On game day, travelers must show official game tickets to reach stadiums by public transit.

◦ Drivers should be prepared for delays and high levels of congestion.  There will be road closures near game time.  Stadium signs will be posted and uniformed traffic marshals posted, but this is not expected to mitigate confusion. Drivers can check road closure announcements and schedules at by visiting official city websites (e.g., visit www.joburg.org.za for Johannesburg).

◦ Special signs to the stadiums have begun to appear.  However the signs are relatively small (they look like an elongated target) and, with less than 2 weeks before the first matches, the signage is incomplete and inconsistent (only some junctions on a route are marked).

◦ Do not rely on GPS devices as they provide the most direct routes, but not necessarily the safest routes.  GPS devices also will not account for road closures and changes.  

◦ Only use secure parking garages and do not park on the streets.

FAN PARKS
◦ FIFA hopes to repeat the success of the 2006 World Cup Fan Zones in Germany where 18 million fans visited 12 fan zones. Official fan parks will be set up in all nine World Cup host cities.  On match days, fan parks will be open from 10 a.m. through midnight.  

◦ Each host city is responsible for its own fan parks.  Fan parks have a capacity of approximately 20,000 people and are located away from soccer stadiums—in some cases, several kilometers from where matches are played.  Each fan park will be fenced and have designated secure entry and exit points.  These designated gateways are expected to control crowd size and safety.  

◦ Worryingly, the final location and number of fan parks has still not been completed.  Local authorities are under political pressure to provide “public viewing areas” and unofficial fan parks throughout each of the host cities.  While non-South African fans are strongly advised to avoid these non-official fan parks out of security concerns, an equal problem is that the non-official parks are likely to have a significant negative impact on local traffic.  It is strongly recommended to consult local TV and radio media and be aware of the possibility of unofficial fan parks on match days.

◦ There are credible indications that many police personnel have already agreed to work for private security firms on match days.  There is thus a considerable danger of absenteeism among police on critical days which will significantly add to the problems of maintaining order in the unofficial fan parks and their vicinities.

CONFUSION OVER TICKET SALES
◦ FIFA began selling the remaining 500,000 tickets for 63 out of the 64 FIFA World Cup matches. Ticket sales are believed to be poor compared to similar events.

◦ Official tickets have a barcode and other security features built in to reduce forgery.  The barcode works at electronic stadium turnstiles and each ticket can be traced back to its original purchaser.  Each ticket also contains information about the venue, the match number, match date, seat category, kick-off time, price, fixture, name of the applicant, color sector and seat location.  

◦ Visitors to South Africa must purchase tickets through FIFA.com.  Only South African residents can purchase tickets over the counter at designated locations in South Africa.  Visitors who purchase tickets from unofficial sources have a high risk of purchasing a fraudulent ticket.  Fans who purchased tickets and cannot attend games can resell their tickets through FIFA’s official website.

◦ Considerable confusion is still occurring as tickets continue to be released to the public at short notice.  It is commonly believed that ticket sales have been poor, and there is some concern that large amounts of tickets, especially for less popular matches, will be dumped on the market in the run up to the first game.

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