Construction workers 'real 2010 heroes'

South Africa's successful bid to host the 2010 Fifa World Cup has proven to be a major catalyst for positive development in country - particularly for the construction industry.

As South Africa gears up to host the biggest single-code sporting event in the world, the construction work is ever increasing.

From upgrading the country's transport infrastructure, hotel and accommodation facilities to creating 10 world-class stadiums which are either being refurbished or built from scratch in nine host cities, local construction companies and their workers are receiving a major boost in tough economic times.

Vasco Pedrina, the Italian-based vice-president of Builders and Wood Workers International (BWI), an international federation that campaigns for fair working conditions around the world, paid a visit to the construction site at Johannesburg's Soccer City stadium on the weekend.

"This is my first time in South Africa and this is my first inspection of a South African site, and my impressions of the conditions at Soccer City stadium are positive," Pedrina said.

"In fact the organisation and conditions on site are a lot better than a lot of sites I have been to."

For Crosby Moni, vice-president of the National Union of Mineworkers and an executive member of BWI, the inspection was a showcase of how the world, as well as South Africa, can benefit from the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

"We are not only setting parameters for South Africa, but for events around the world," Moni said. "The standards that will be set in South Africa will be the standards of the world in the construction sector".

BWI regional representative Crecentia Mofokeng said that hosting soccer's showpiece event had permanently altered the construction landscape of South Africa.

"Before South Africa won the bid the construction sector was not doing so well, but the successful bid for 2010 has raised the hopes for construction workers to now get a job".

The trade union delegation was due this week to visit both Green Point stadium in Cape Town, where workers recently started to lift the giant roof into place, as well as the workers at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, who recently completed the iconic arch over the stadium.

2010 World Cup: 500 days to go

South Africa's preparations for the 500-day countdown to the opening of the 2010 Fifa World Cup are well under way, with a wide range of activities taking place across the country, and a main event scheduled for the Mangaung Outdoor Sports Centre in Bloemfontein on Monday.

"Monday next week will be exactly 500 days to go to the world's biggest sporting spectacle, watched by a cumulative audience of more than 26-billion spectators worldwide, and South Africa's preparations are in overdrive," the 2010 Local Organising Committee said in a statement this week.

Media conference

A media conference will be held in Johannesburg, and will be attended by Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke, LOC chairman Irvin Khoza and LOC chief executive Danny Jordaan.

They will talk about the achievements made since South Africa was awarded the right to host the event five years ago, as well as the remaining milestones leading up to the tournament's kick-off on 11 June 2010 at the Soccer City Stadium to the south of Johannesburg.

Host city posters

The mayors from all nine host cities, as well as Provincial and Local Government Minister Sicelo Shiceka, will be at the sports centre in Bloemfontein, where they will officially unveil their respective host city posters.

To kick-off the day's activities, delegates from the Italian Embassy, together with 2010 ambassadors Mark Fish and Philemon Masinga, will visit two schools in the area as part of the 2010 "Adopt-a-Nation" schools campaign, which will be followed by a mini schools football tournament.

Street parade

Ahead of the countdown, the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality will mark the day by holding a street parade and a fun walk in the streets of KwaThema, Tsakane and Duduza, before culminating in a massive celebration at the KwaThema Stadium this Sunday.

The event is expected to several senior officials, including Gauteng provincial sports minister Barbara Creecy and Ekurhuleni executive mayor Ntombi Mekgwe, as well as local councillors, community leaders, soccer veterans and members of the public in general.