SA Defence Force prepares for 2010 World Cup

Massive security exercises to prepare for the 2010 Soccer World Cup will be held in Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein and the northern provinces before the end of the year, the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) said today.

Briefing reporters on the work of the Joint Operations Division of the SANDF, Rear Admiral Philip Schultz said the Army, Navy, Air Force and Medical Health Services would take part in the exercises in the host cities.

The police were responsible for securing the World Cup but would be relying heavily on the Defence Force to provide support. Most of planning and training were done jointly. Exercises this year are planned for Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein, Gauteng, the North West and Limpopo.

Next year’s KwaZulu-Natal exercise would be similar to Exercise Green Point, which saw hundreds of security personnel - ground, air and sea - dealing with a variety of simulated threats around Cape Town.

Meanwhile, the Defence Force was finalising its plans for the actual event, which included the possibility that all ships entering South African waters would be searched 10 nautical miles off the coast, the deployment of standby reaction forces near every World Cup venue and manned posts along the major routes on which visitors would travel.

SANDF plans also included strategies on how to deal with chemical and biological attacks and planning for constant air patrols by the Air Force. - Sapa