LOC blasts 2010 Afro-pessimists, outlines way forward

“When a security breach occurs in Finland or in London or when a bomb explodes in Athens during the Olympics, we don't ask France or any other country in Europe to explain why it happened,” Jordaan told a large contingent of local and foreign reporters today, Tuesday 12 January 2010, in Johannesburg.

“When Hull loses against Tottenham, you don't ask Man United why Hull lost the game. If you do that, you will be applying double standards and that is unfair,” he said, fuming.

“The Angolan incident has nothing to do with South Africa and we reiterate that security of the World Cup is part of a total plan, which we have been working on for a long time and we are still addressing.

Treat SA fairly

”Please treat us equally, treat us the same and don't be judgmental and speculative. Be consistent in whatever you say.”

The deadly attack by a separatist group on the Togolese national team in Cabinda, Angola, made a lot of people nervous in many parts of Europe, prompting some ‘ill-informed' people to call for the 2010 Orange Africa Cup of Nations to be moved away from Angola and question Africa's readiness to host a major soccer event such as the FIFA World Cup.

But Jordaan, who has recently returned from Luanda, Angola, indicated: “There is no separatist group in South Africa. It is not a one-on-one correlation. We have learned valuable lessons and taken account of all scenarios, but while different scenarios might emerge, we must remain vigilant and work hard to address these issues.”

Vijay Ramlakan, surgeon-general of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), who represented the SA army at the briefing, said the military will make a solid intervention to ensure that the World Cup was safe and sound from all sorts of threats, including terrorism.

SANDF promises a ‘secure World Cup'

He told reporters: “It is not the military's habit to discuss security matters with the media, but we have to tell you that we are well-prepared and more than ready to face any eventuality.

“We are sharing information and planning with international security agencies, and we benchmark with countries such as Japan, South Korea, Germany and I personally visited these places and discussed 2010 security with relevant authorities.”

“We will never discuss what we will do - because it becomes a circus - but I want to assure you that we will be making a tough intervention during this event to counter all kinds of dangers.

“Believe me, these are not only empty words but vigorous words spoken to send a message that we will provide a secure World Cup,” the unsmiling and tough-looking Ramlakan added.

LOC said the SA Police Service is spending R640 million on the deployment of officers specifically for the event, including training forces and undertaking simulating exercises.

Besides, each of the 32 qualified countries has been urged to send their own specially trained police to assist with languages and cultural differences and to support local police.