Now, with only a few days left to the 31 August closing date, and an average of over 1 500 applications a day pouring in, the organisers expect the volunteer applications for the 2010 FIFA World Cup to break the 50 000 mark surpassing the 48 167 received for Germany 2006.

Showcase Africa’s Capabilities

According to southafrica.info, “We can see how excited people from all around the world are about 2010 in the number of applications we are receiving from volunteer hopefuls,” 2010 Local Organising Committee (LOC) chief executive Danny Jordaan said in Pretoria this week. They are eager to be part of this World Cup that will showcase Africa’s capabilities to the world.”

Johannesburg is leading the pack, with 11 969 volunteer applications for the Ellis Park and Soccer City venues, followed by Pretoria with 6 176 applications, Nelson Mandela Bay (greater Port Elizabeth) with 4 752, Cape Town with 4 356, and Durban with 3 971.

Specific Skills Needed

Despite the high number of applications, the LOC is encouraging those who want to apply still to do so, as volunteers with specific skills, including those with driver’s licenses wishing to work as transport volunteers, are needed. Those interested can call the toll-free volunteer hotline on 0800 52 52 52.

Or contact FIFA Become a Volunteer

Photo: Dr Danny Jordaan with two volunteers during the Confederations Cup. www.fifa.com

Mashable.com

Retweet or RT

Retweeting is an integral part of the Twitter experience. The Retweet or RT allows Twitter users to share the best links, tweets, and gems they find from others using the service. For bloggers and website owners RT is a great way of networking (you are passing on someone else’s message and endorsing it, there is a good chance they will do the same with yours in the future).

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Do you  write about South Africa, the 2010 FIFA Worl Cup and other related matters?

Well then the MediaClubSouthAfrica web site is the place to go. Here you can find content, facts and photos for download.

Check it out and spread the message.

In fact, I found this fan photo on the site.

Visit the Brand South Africa blog for more and to add your pictures and comments.

Through the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, we can tell the story of Africa – tell her story because we are proud.

17 August 2009, Johannesburg – At the fourth and final 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ communicators’ conference, hosted today by the National Communications Partnership (NCP), speakers including Minister of Transport, Mr. Sibusiso Ndebele and Dr. Irvin Khoza, Chairperson of the 2010 FIFA Organising Committee called for all South Africans and Africans to come together to ensure that we host an event that will be talked about by generations to come.

“As a country and continent, we will need to pull together. The 2010 FIFA World Cup calls for unity of our people because together we can do more,” said Minister Ndebele.

Dr. Irvin Khoza said that South Africans must realise the enormity of the opportunities that are being generated through the tournament. The World Cup will be delivered on a far bigger scale than the Confederations Cup.  To date, for example over 14 000 applications have been received for the volunteer programme.

According to Khoza, the psychological readiness of the nation is critical. “There is one show on the road at the moment and a psychological adjustment from all South Africans is needed.”

Khoza said that South Africans need to be thinking of the World Cup as a 30 day commercial for the country that will be watched by billions around the globe. “The extent to which the tournament changes lives will be largely determined by the degree to which we use the tournament to build up to 2010.”

The 11th June 2010, with the opening of the World Cup is arguably South Africa’s next defining moment. Historically, we have successfully hosted Rugby and Cricket World Cups, continental and global football tournaments, global conferences and four peaceful democratic elections, but never anything on a scale that is arguably larger than the Olympics.

Khoza affirmed that the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee has a very good understanding of what is needed for next year’s event. “We must be relentlessly positive,” he said. “As South Africans, we have the tendency to be self critical. We should see everything in perspective and importantly, see the positive stories.”

He referred to outstanding progress that has been made by 2010 FIFA Organising Committee over the past five years, through the building of six new stadiums in less than four years and the potential legacy that will be generated in terms of job creation, tourism, trade and investment.

“We must be proactive and stay ahead of the story – not merely reacting to everything being said,” he added. The 2010 story is one of a continent that is being redefined in a historic way.

“We must be Pan-African,” Khoza concluded. “South Africa 2010 must be pan-African in word and deed, as we stage a tournament that inspires all of Africa.” This tournament must ensure that our African teams feel like they are playing at home, as we celebrate Africa’s home-grown heros.”

From Cape to Cairo, Khoza reiterated that Africa must stand together as never before -  to create a sweet chorus singing the same song in perfect harmony.

“This World Cup is the real thing. You must feel that there is something happening in this country. The banners you use must be larger than life. Every street corner must be filled. We must feel that this show is in town,” Khoza concluded.

End

My thoughts, having been here the whole day blogging, tweeting, taking photos and videos:

There is a lot going on and many people have many things to say about the 2010 FIFA World Cup and it seems that the stakeholders are very keen to get involved and get their slice of the action. South African Tourism, GCIS, the IMC, South African Police Services and several other organisations are doing great things for the World Cup.

People adding their comments and raising questions included a mayor, small tourism business owners, a musician, several journalists, a car rental company , a hotel company and local and regional tourism bodies and several government departments.

All in all I was very impressed with the level of discussions, the ideas raised and the public commitments made by the SABC, SAPS, government ministers and media.

It is a great time to be a South African and a great time to start being part of the biggest sporting event of  all, the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

I am determined to learn the diski dance, get to know the full anthem and buy my first ever South African flag.

Japie Swanepoel

From the Communications cluster we got:

• A lot of marketing and communications activities are happening but they are not integrated.
• Football Fridays should be launched as a national event. 4 September was proposed.

Domestic Mobilisation:

• We need to wear SA football kit
• we need to sing and understand the national anthem
• We must adopt a national flag day: houses, schools, museums, taxi

Continental Mobilisation:

• African embassies want more information.
• Africa companies to be better utilised.
• African partners feel they need to be better communicated to.
• Players need to be used to mobilise people.
• Pan-African drive.

Hospitality / Tourism:

• Diski dance and Fly the Flag campaign to be utilised locally.
• Bumper stickers to send out message.
• Diski Dance to be done at every Football game.
• Dance to be taken to schools.

• SA needs to capitalise on the opportunities that the World Cup offers
• 170 stakeholder organisations registered on tourism portal launched in 2008
• 2010 global marketing campaign was launched at Indaba 2009: around Diski campaign
• SAT partnerships: Coke, FIFA, IMC
• always looking for more partners
• part of strategy is to promote South Africa at international events
• online campaign: get people worldwide to post their own pictures doing the Diski dance
• for campaign to work, we need South Africans to learn the dance
• Launched Fly the Flag campaign
• DVD made with Diski dance instructions, collateral for marketing and online links.
• The DVD can be copied and redistributed.
• Dancers available around the country to teach organisations and corporates how to do the dance.

Now it is time to discuss what tourism partners can do to identify key drivers / champions and become project owners to communicate the key components of the event.

• Tourism: facilitated by Sugen Pillay of SAT
• Domestic mobilisation: Manaba Moroka
• Continental mobilisation: Kalusha Bwalya
• Communication: Jermain Craig / Amina Frens

The panelists include:

• Rich Mkhondo: 2010 Fifa World Cup organising committee
• Derek Carstens: 2010 Fifa World Cup organising committee
• Mvuzo Mbebe: SABC
• Wendy Tlou: South African Tourism (SAT)
• Kwakye Donkor: Regional Tourism Organisation of Southern Africa (Retosa)
• Themba Maseko: Government Communications & Information System (GCIS)
• Vish Naidoo: South African Police Services
• Dr. Nikolaus Eberl, Nation of Champions
• David Smith: Foreign Correspondents Associatio

Some take-outs:

• FIFA: the preparations are ready. We need to communicate that to the people.
• SABC: we want to communicate a simple message: your front seat to the event. Where-ever you are, we will give you a signal.
• SAT: launched Diski dance campaign 2 days ago domestically. South Africans should learn the dance.
• RETOSA: We will leverage whole of Southern Africa to market the event.
• GCIS: Government supports the event because it gives us the opportunity to unite South Africans and to use the opportunity to market SA and the continent to the world.
• SAPS: we expect challenges from a language and cultural perspective with regards to the international visitors. We will be bringing police from other countries here to patrol in their uniforms and to assist.
• Dept of Transport: Bits of the Gautrain will be ready
• David Smith: international media are still shocked when coming to South Africa for the first time. International media hates being fobbed off and not getting through to a media office when making an enquiry.