Safety and Security

As the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ comes to Durban, it brings a need for increased safety, security and disaster management planning – ensuring that every resident and visitor remains safe during this period.

The successful, safe and efficient running of previous events like the Cricket and Rugby World Cup semi finals and the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ Preliminary Draw, to name but a few, provide a strong platform on which the city’s safety, security and disaster management teams could build further plans.

By the various departments responsible for safety, security and disaster management covers plans for the safety of the Moses Mabhida Stadium, all road infrastructure, ambulance services, and food hygienists. All of these departments are working together, in Durban, to ensure the safety of the thousands of visitors who will descend upon the city before and during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.

Durban’s safety & security includes the following:

• An integrated system involving safety, security and disaster management teams, including Durban’s South African Police Services (SAPS), the Metro Police, Fire Department, Health Department, medical services, National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI)
• A special focus will be given to specific high-density, people-centric nodes, including the stadium itself, fan parks, hotels, base camps and official training venues
• A substantial increase in staffing numbers will be evident and all of the additional staff will be highly trained for their tasks
• Contract staff will be taken on and will receive intensive training and will be integrated with existing staff
• Contract staff will concentrate on minor incidents, freeing up full-time staff to focus on major incidents. For example, contract staff would be deployed to fight bush and grass fires, while full-time staff would be deployed for the more dangerous fires involving buildings, chemicals, etc
• Food hygienists and technicians will be used to ensure that all food providers are licensed, and that all foodstuffs supplied are safe to consume
• Plans will be advised and put in place to combat each possible hazard risk, allowing the safety and security teams to solve problems before they happen or before they escalate, e.g. fire, food contamination, security, terrorism, crowd crushing
• Emergency services will be on site at the stadium and Fan Park on each match day
• CCTV will be employed throughout the entire stadium precinct, as well as in the Fan Park, other main public meeting places within the city and training venues
• No fly zone areas will be created around the stadium and road closures will occur on match days
• The Moses Mabhida Stadium has been designed in accordance with international safety and security rules, allowing for complete evacuation within the set time limit. Evacuation programmes and crowd movement monitoring systems have been devised
• The Fan Park will be accessed by Park & Ride facilities, avoiding traffic problems such as congestion and accidents
• Each main venue used for 2010 in the city will have its own Venue Operating Centre (VOC), consisting of representatives from each safety, security and disaster management department. If a VOC is unable to handle an incident on its own, or if there is potential for the incident to escalate, the Joint Operation Centre (JOC) will be called upon to mobilize or reallocate resources