WOZA2010
The Security Challenge

The robbery incident involving Portuguese and Spanish journalists two days before the World Cup kicked off brings to the front burner the issue of security at the tournament
   
By ARUKAINO UMUKORO

Like their counterparts from the rest of the world, Antonio Simoes, Portuguese photographer; Miguel Serrano and Rui Gustavo Morais, Spanish journalists, had an overriding mission in South Africa – to follow the progress of their respective teams and the other qualifiers during the World Cup. But after being robbed at gunpoint, June 9, inside their hotel rooms at the Nutbush Boma Lodge outside Magaliesburg, 75 miles Northwest of Johannesburg, these journalists, including thousands of other fans, might have to do more than just watching football. They need to keep a watchful eye on their personal security during the tournament.
“One of the guys pointed a handgun at my head, and then they took all my gear — cameras (three), lenses, laptop," said Simoes, who works for the Portuguese daily, O Jogo. "Then they told me to lie on the bed and they covered me with a blanket, pressed the gun against my head and told me to sleep. The whole thing took one or two minutes, but it felt like hours,” Simoes told Associated Press. The items were worth about $35,000. Four thousand dollars in cash, passport and a pair of jeans were also taken from him. Serrano was luckier. The thieves only made off with his laptop, three cell phones, passport, over $3,000 in cash and all of his clothes. Serrano said about 20 journalists covering the Portugal team were staying at the Nutbush, and they had previously raised concerns about hotel safety. "We had already complained to the Portuguese federation that the security left a lot to be desired, but we never thought that something like this would happen,” he said.
Although the incident happened a few days to the kick-off of the World Cup tournament, it raised more concern about the ability of South African police to ensure adequate security of visitors during the tournament proper. However, Govensamy Marimuthu of the South African Police Services, SAPS, tried to allay fears, despite admitting that such incidents occur all over the country and that visitors only needed to be more cautious. “These are crimes that are happening, but not affecting the stadium. We are policing those places. We are also calling on visitors to take extra precaution as well. If they are staying at a hotel, they should make use of the safe and other security facilities that are available,” he advised.
The June 6 stampede at the Makhulong Stadium in Tembisa, Gauteng, during the warm-up match between Nigeria and North Korea, where 15 fans and a police officer were injured, also raised concerns over security at match venues. FIFA was quick to squash this. “FIFA and the OC (Organising Committee) would like to first wish a prompt recovery to those who have been affected by these incidents. In addition, FIFA and the OC would like to reiterate that this friendly match has no relation whatsoever with the operational organisation of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, for which we remain fully confident,” it said in a statement afterwards.
Rumoured threats from terrorist groups had also heightened fears. But Nathi Mthethwa, South Africa’s police minister, dismissed the speculation about plots by groups ranging from al-Qaida to homegrown, white militants. He also assured the world of a terrorism-free tournament. He emphasised the readiness of the South African security forces to decisively deal with any perceived or real threats. With the arrest of suspected football hooligans at Johannesburg and Oliver Thambo airports, a week to the event, security forces seemed to drum home their point that adequate measures had been taken to quell any form of perceived threat during the tournament.
Major sporting events have been targets of terrorist groups in the past. The 1972 Munich Olympics, when Palestinian gunmen took hostage athletes and coaches from Israel’s Olympic team, killing 11, comes to mind. However, Mthethwa noted that the country’s security forces have been working closely with security and intelligence agents from the United States, Britain and the 29 other countries sending teams to South Africa, since 2004, when the country won the bid to host Africa’s first World Cup.
Over 40,000 officers have been deployed to World Cup security. Stations near stadiums, investigation teams and special courts operating 24 hours a day are dedicated to the event. Also, a joint-operation centre, led by police and military intelligence and other government agencies, is supervising security. The centre operates 24 hours a day from an undisclosed location in the capital until the World Cup ends. The police arsenal has been boosted by $90 million worth of new equipment, including water cannon, helicopters, speedboats, jet skis, new high-performance police cars and heavy-duty emergency rescue vehicles. The police had also received a major communications resource boost, following a donation of 70,000 mobile phones by the country’s Minister of Communications Siphiwe Nyanda, in partnership with leading mobile operators, MTN, Vodacom and Cell C. “We will be ready for any eventuality in air, water, on land, including a terrorist threat,” he said.
In the past, South Africa had successfully hosted major tournaments, including the Indian cricket premier league in April and the Confederations Cup in June 2009. It remains to be seen if this is proof that it can handle security in a bigger sporting event like the World Cup. Long before the tournament kicked off, the international media had questioned the state of security in South Africa. The reasons are not far-fetched. An estimated 50 people are either murdered or are objects of murder attempts every day. Robberies at shopping malls and car snatching have also been on the increase in the "Rainbow nation".
However, despite the statistics and recent incidents, both FIFA and South Africa have repeatedly assured of a safe World Cup for visitors and fans. Millions of fans worldwide certainly hope so.