The City of Johannesburg is extending an open hand to the ICT industry to assist it to get ready for the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
Speaking at the Connect IT: Joburg 2010 conference, in Sandton this week, the city's executive director for 2010, Sibongile Mazibuko, said Johannesburg intends to be a world-class digital city by 2010. By then, it will be ready and able to cater to the ICT needs of the soccer extravaganza and afterwards put that technology to work for the benefit of the city's residents.
"There is no doubt as to the fundamental importance of ICT during an international event such as the 2010 Soccer World Cup," said Mazibuko.
She said national government, as well as the host cities, signed various guarantees with FIFA, the world soccer body, to ensure the success of the World Cup. These include broadcasting guarantees, such as establishing an International Broadcast Centre (IBC), as well as multiple media and press centres, and ensuring reliable broadcast infrastructure, including power supply, for the duration of the event; and telecommunication guarantees.
These include making available a fibre optic telecommunication infrastructure - the "foundation" layer - in-and-around the match venues and between match venues and the IBC.
Mazibuko said the city sees the hosting the World Cup as "a key focal point to accelerate its own vision and delivery on socio-economic goals". She listed these goals as alleviating poverty and stimulating balanced and shared economic growth, social mobility, settlement restructuring, as well as sustainable development and environmental justice.
She added that the city's ICT investment must create a lasting legacy by enabling local economic growth through making available affordable high-speed broadband connectivity. This will, in turn, lead to improved e-government service delivery and growth in the city's ICT industry.
The city fathers are particularly keen that the latter increases Joburg's ICT skills base, creates employment and makes the metropole more attractive as an investment destination, Mazibuko stated.
To discharge its obligations, the city is fitting its stadiums and their immediate surroundings with world-class infrastructure. However, Mazibuko does not see this solely as the city's task. "The City of Joburg, the private sector, the non-profit sector and other stakeholders should work together to realise the maximum gains from the use of ICT."
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