Danny
Jordaan, Chief Executive Officer of
the South African organising committee
revealed last week that they very
much wanted other countries to host
World Cup teams so that other African
countries are involved in the global
event as much as possible.
“This is Africa's
World Cup and we are making a case
to FIFA for a change of rules,”
said Jordaan.
If these plans succeed, Bulawayo will
certainly enjoy part of the spoils
during the World Cup. Some of the
teams will be hosted in the city's
hotels and locals will also get a
chance to view the world's best players
doing their rounds at Barbourfields
Stadium which is arguably one of the
best in Africa.
The
first step taken by the city is the
twinning of Bulawayo and Polokwane.
Billions of dollars worth of business
is going to be generated before, during
and after the soccer event.
Meanwhile, the twinning
of Bulawayo and South Africa's Polokwane
are at an advanced stage as the two
local authorities explore ways of
cashing in on the 2010 soccer World
Cup.
The two municipalities
are identifying areas of mutual benefit
in a bid to promote development in
the two cities. The Bulawayo city
is going to benefit in certain areas
like;
1.
The linking of Polokwane and Joshua
Mqabuko Nkomo International Airports,
2. Linking of local
authorities,
3. Linking of tourism
facilities in Victoria Falls to the
Polokwane 2010 World Cup tournament
sessions.
A spokesman from
the city council highlighted that
it will not be the city council that
will benefit directly from these projects
but the businesses and the residents
of Bulawayo. The council will rope
in as the facilitator.
Resolutions regarding
the implementation of the Trans Limpopo
Spatial Development Initiative were
passed. These included the need for
joint technical working committees
and the interim secretariat to work
towards the implementation of “quick-win”
projects that could be implemented
within 12 months.
The programme also
envisions twinning arrangements between
universities on either side of the
Limpopo within the corridor so that
they could share information pertaining
to educational issues.
See
the preview of some of the stadia
in South Africa.
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