2010 World Cup - U.S. envoy

[Ethix]

Crime threatens SAfrica  
Reuters
Sunday, November 26, 2006; 6:03 AM


JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The new U.S. amba**ador to South Africa said in an interview published on Sunday that few would travel to the 2010 World Cup in the country if crime continued at current levels.

South Africa is battling some of the highest rates of murder and rape in the world and opposition groups and the media have accused the government of failing to curb crime.



"I look at things somewhat simplistically on occasion and the issue for me is this: who is going to be interested in spending a significant amount of money coming here on holiday, to have a good time, when you're concerned about the possibility of getting hurt?," amba**ador Eric Bost told the Sunday Times.

Bost, a black Republican, warned that crime was the first concern of nearly every amba**ador he had met in South Africa, and of the US investor community.

He said his German equivalent had told him about a group of German tour operators who had visited South Africa soon after the 2006 World Cup, which was held in their country, to look at facilities that would be available to soccer tourists in 2010.

"They were robbed," he said, adding such tour operators were unlikely to encourage their nationals to visit South Africa.

Bost said the US wanted to work with South Africa on strategies to get more police onto the streets to fight crime.

South Africa has said it will spend 15.1 billion rand ($2.11 billion) on the 2010 World Cup, to ensure the first soccer World Cup on African soil would be a resounding success.

That figure includes 3.5 billion rand on fighting crime and improving the criminal justice system to combat violent crime, car hijackings and cash-in-transit heists.

The Treasury said it would use the cash to employ an extra 8,000 police officers and 2,000 civilians in police employment and to beef up the judiciary, prosecuting authority and legal aid systems, ahead of the world's biggest single sporting event.

Bost said South Africa was a wonderful country with fantastic potential, but the balance sheet of positives and negatives was tilting toward the negative.

Whats your predictions for 2010 ?

[F-I-F-T-Y TOUCH THE SKY]

I THINK SOUTH AFRICA WILL HOST AN AWESOME WC THIS COUNTRY HAS SOLD ITSELF SHORT 2 MANY TIMES THAT WILL BE THE BEST PLATFORM TO HIGHLIGHT OUR CAPABILITIES

[Ethix]

I THINK SOUTH AFRICA WILL HOST AN AWESOME WC THIS COUNTRY HAS SOLD ITSELF SHORT 2 MANY TIMES THAT WILL BE THE BEST PLATFORM TO HIGHLIGHT OUR CAPABILITIES

GOD, I really hope so man !

[briCK]

The more i think about how the rest of the world views Africa..the WC comming here..that I will have to see with my own eyes..I can however asure you..IF that throphy...(briCK's Cup) comes to Africa I really really doubt it will leave this continent..doubt it..doubt it very much!

[BHLAKHROZE]

can however asure you..IF that throphy...(briCK's Cup) comes to Africa I really really doubt it will leave this continent..doubt it..doubt it very much!

youve got jokes. 'briCKs Cup'. sure. laff.