Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

The police are confident that the country will meet the stringent security requirements of Fifa, the global soccer governing body, to ensure that the 2010 tournament is free of terrorist and other threats.

Andre Pruis, the national deputy commissioner of the SAPS, told a media briefing at the Ysterplaat air force base yesterday that the police had drafted a detailed plan that could withstand any security scenario during next year’s Confederations Cup and the duration of the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

The plan ranged from countering international terrorism and hooliganism right down to safety on the soccer pitch, Pruis said.

He added that the police were working with the security agencies of other countries to ensure that the SAPS was fully briefed about potential trouble-makers or known hooligans.

The police had also asked the South African intelligence services for a complete assessment of the security risks in the run-up to and during the tournament.

“We are 100% in line with preparations to provide Fifa with a concept plan for the World Cup,” Pruis said.

The security plan has been strengthened with a R1 billion budget.

Pruis said the police would use the additional funds to purchase water cannons, aircraft and new patrol vehicles.

The police would deploy a dedicated force of 41 000 personnel to ensure security at the World Cup.

A joint operational and intelligence structure, comprising the SAPS, SANDF, intelligence agencies and other government departments has also been established.

This will co-ordinate all security activities around the 2010 soccer tournament.

Over the past four days, the structure has been conducting joint security exercises called Operation Green Point.

The exercises are aimed at honing the skills of SAPS specialised units on how to deal with various security scenarios, including the hijacking of an aircraft.

They were conducted within 50 nautical miles of Cape Town International Airport and entailed the identification of simulated or real aerial threats by the SA Air Force and the police’s air division.

According to the security services, these exercises are aimed at enacting emergency contingency plans in order to neutralise any form of aerial threat to the Western Cape during the World Cup.

Pruis applauded the exercises as being highly successful in preparing the police and other organs of the security establishment for the 2010 tournament.

“I think we can do it. We have been to other world cups and seen what they have done.

“We think we can do it,” Pruis said.

The exercise in the Western Cape was the second to be mounted by the country’s security services since South Africa won the right to host the World Cup.

Similar exercises are planned for other host cities towards the end of the year.