Nigeria Content Online

South Africa on
Tuesday unveiled a 19 billion rand transport upgrade for the World Cup
including revamped airports, a high speed urban train and a new bus
system.

Officials denied
too much had been spent on the soccer spectacular, saying the new
infrastructure would leave a lasting legacy in a country where the
majority black population was starved of public transport under
apartheid.

President Jacob
Zuma opened the greatly expanded Johannesburg airport — already
Africa’s biggest — which officials said would handle 28 million
passengers a year and more than 60 flights a day.

Journalists also
travelled on the gleaming new Gautrain, which will link the posh
district of Sandton, where many World Cup fans will stay, and the
airport.

The train would run
on this leg before the World Cup, starting on June 11, officials said.
It will be expanded to central Johannesburg and Pretoria next year.

“We have not had
wonderful public transport in South Africa,” Deputy Transport Minister
Jeremy Cronin said after the airport opening ceremony.

“Government has
identified the privilege of hosting the World Cup as an opportunity
also to lay down the beginnings of a wonderful public transport
system,” he said.

Soccer’s governing
body FIFA last year flagged transport as a concern but officials said
the system was ready and would be able to handle the world’s
most-watched sporting event.

“Hassle-free transport”

“We are quite
convinced that international visitors to South Africa will have a
wonderful experience culturally, sporting wise and also a hassle-free
transport system and that there will be a legacy left for ordinary
South Africans,” Cronin added.

Airports in Cape Town and other host cities have also been refurbished and a brand new one built in Durban.

Transport Minister
Sibusiso Ndebele said 570 buses had been purchased for the World Cup,
110 of them to provide an inter-city service.

“Government has
invested more than 19 billion rand on public transport infrastructure
for the World Cup to ensure that the tournament leaves a rich legacy
for our country and continent,” he added.

Ndebele said South
Africa would provide World Cup fans with a ground transportation system
that “is reliable, easily accessible, safe and secure, convenient and
affordable.” Cronin confirmed two or three passenger liners would act
as floating hotels during the month-long tournament.

There have been
concerns that airlines may not be able to handle the fan traffic but
Skhumbuzo Macozoma, a transport specialist from the local organising
committee, said “right now we don’t have any alarm bells.” The number
of foreign fans expected was recently sharply cut from 450,000 to
200,000 because of the world economic crisis, high costs and alarmist
reporting about violent crime.

But officials
denied this may result in over-investment in the World Cup because the
transport system would remain for the future and extra planes were
being leased rather than purchased.

“There is no message that says we have spent too much,” Macozoma