In the dead of night, the centre of Durban is not for the faint-hearted. Like many CBDs around the globe, criminals use the cover of darkness to operate, writes Craig Urquhart.

And yet, on the night of November 25, 2007, Durban was one the safest cities on the plant. The occasion was the 201 Preliminary Draw — FIFA’s first major international event on African soil — and a security blanket ensured that the thousands of delegates and tourists were safe.

There was a similar feeling at the launch of the first of 20 Football for Hope Centres in Khayelitsha, Cape Town this week. The Ncomu Road Urban Park, in the suburb of Harare, was once a barren marshland (and a breeding ground for criminals).

Today it has been reclaimed thanks to the combined efforts of residents, community leaders, government and, of course, the 2010 World Cup.

"It shows what we can do when we focus on getting things right rather than concentrating on what's wrong," said Helen Zille, Premier of the Western Cape, at the sod-turning ceremony.

Next month’s Confederations Cup will see major security operations being implemented in preparation for the 2010 World Cup. And the same will apply to all the other World Cup-related events, including December's final draw (which is expected to have a global television audience of 700 million).

Over the past couple of years, the SA Police Services (SAPS) has been working closely with security agencies from around the world to create no-go zones for criminals in every 2010 host city.

For a country that has suffered from petty and violent crime for so long, the 2010 World Cup is a Godsend.

It has freed up hundreds of millions of rands for the procurement of hi-tech equipment and the recruitment of new security personnel.

Crime-weary South Africans can now look forward to a new-found sense of security. And it’s up to us to ensure that these measures remain in place long after the World Cup has left these shores.

  • Email Craig at sport@metropolis.co.za with a comment or simply post a message below!
  • 'Inside 2010' will appear weekly on iafrica.com, so log on next week for more inside info ahead of SA's biggest tournament to date.
  • Urquhart is a former FIFA World Cup Media Officer and the current editor of Project2010.
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