Take part in Joburg's 2010 planning

The Joburg United for 2010 Summit, to be held at Nasrec on 5 April, will be a celebratory exhibition of “entertainment, high energy and fun”, at which the public will be given feedback on progress and the way forward towards 2010, says Sibongile Mazibuko, the executive director in the City's 2010 unit.

Summit to coincide with Rand Show

Addressing delegates at a Citizens' Dialogue on the World Cup in Roodepoort on Saturday 2 February, Mazibuko said the summit would coincide with the annual Rand Show at Nasrec Expo Centre.

This is viewed as an apt time for the city to present to thousands of Johannesburg residents and visitors its plans for 2010.

“The event will be launched on the day and will run annually until 2010.

“We expect about 500 to 600 delegates to attend the summit and thousands more to witness and participate in the ensuing showcase of how the city is going about preparing for 2010. We will also be giving away thousands of tickets to the event.”

The aim of Joburg United for 2010 was to unite the city and all its stakeholders in a strong partnership to ensure the delivery of the best world cup ever and, according to Mazibuko, the Citizens' Dialogue was part of the process to woo businesses, youth, NGOs and interested parties to participate in its organisation.

First in a series of workshops

She added that the Citizen's Dialogue was the first in a series of workshops that would be held in all seven regions until 2010. However, the poor attendance at the dialogue concerned her. Only a handful of councillors turned up.

“I can't tell the story of the World Cup alone; councillors should be the mouthpiece of 2010 as well.

“We have to admit that the city hasn't given enough feedback on the progress towards 2010. This is the correct time where we have to come together – the city's 2010 unit, councillors and all people involved in preparations for 2010 – share information, seek feedback, identify opportunities and forge partnerships.”

The chairperson of the 2010 mayoral sub-committee, Nandi Mayathula-Khoza, reiterated Mazibuko's call to residents to unite for 2010.

She said councillors should reach out to the communities they served and convene meetings in their wards.

“We really need feedback from citizens so that they can tell us what they think about the world cup. This is one event that people should take advantage of because it will bring huge economic opportunities and bring social cohesion.”

Illustrate commitment

To illustrate the city's commitment to hosting a successful world cup, Mazibuko spoke about its plans and progress. She emphasized that the city should use the “energy” created by 2010 to accelerate its development agenda.

“The city has contributed R2.528 billion towards hosting the world cup and this translates into new stadiums, new roads and other infrastructure.

“There are legacy projects that will be spawned by hosting the event, like the Soweto Theatre, upgrading the Diepkloof hostels, putting up street furniture and greening soccer fields.”

After Mazibuko's presentation, some dialogue delegates expressed the concern that the city was not doing enough to market the World Cup. One said that it should create its own slogan “to conscientise residents to rally behind the city”.

Mike Moriarty, the Democratic Alliance leader in Johannesburg, suggested that a “full and comprehensive” website dedicated to the 2010 FIFA World Cup should be set up as a matter of urgency.

“This website should include regular updates of project plans.”

General consensus

There was general consensus that residents – especially those living in townships who would not be able to afford tickets to matches – should be more informed about the advantages of fan parks.

One delegate suggested that fan parks should be set up in townships like Soweto and Orange Farm in the south.

Article published courtesy of BuaNews