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The 2010 Local Organising Committee and the executive arm of the
South African Local Government Association have come up with ways
municipalities can be involved in the World Cup.
The chair of the South African Local Government Association, Amos Masondo, and the LOC's chief executive Danny Jordaan talk business
ALL municipalities, not just host cities, wanted to play a pivotal role
in the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, the chair of the South African Local
Government Association (Salga), Amos Masondo, told the Local Organising
Committee (LOC) at a brief meeting the two groups held.
Although short, the meeting, held at the Sandton Convention
Centre on Friday, 12 October, opened the way for further collaboration
between Salga and the 2010 LOC.
Masondo, who is also the executive mayor of Johannesburg, said
the objective behind the meeting with the LOC was for Salga to narrow
down the role that all municipalities could play in making 2010 a
success.
"As municipalities, we feel we can make a contribution to 2010,
not just host cities," he said at the start of the meeting, which was
attended by the LOC's chief executive Danny Jordaan, among others.
"Salga, as the representative voice of local government in our country,
needs to assist its member municipalities in organising an excellent
2010 FIFA World Cup™ that has lasting benefits for our people."
The local government association hopes to establish a closer
working relationship between the two groups, with participation in the
governing and other structures of the LOC, the crystallisation of
legacy projects and issues related to how best municipalities,
particularly non-hosting municipalities, can benefit from the World
Cup.
Municipalities would also like to play a stronger role in the
volunteer programme and the fan parks and public viewing areas, Masondo
said. Salga would help municipalities to integrate the World Cup into
their programmes and Integrated Development Plans.
Taking it further
Jordaan confirmed that the
LOC was committed to finding ways in which there could be closer
co-operation. "We agree, the only issue is where and how."
Jordaan felt it would not be viable to create more structures to
enable this partnership, rather suggesting participation through two
channels: that Salga appoint two representatives to the host city
forum, which deals with the detail of hosting; or that it engages with
the executive of the 2010 board through its three-monthly meetings,
with Salga becoming "part of the agenda", he said.
Salga's chief executive officer, Xolile George, and Dennis
Mumble, the competitions officer for the LOC, will attend to the finer
details of establishing this participation process.
"This is the broad issue; the fan parks [and other issues mentioned] we can look at at a later stage," Jordaan said in closing.
The meeting coincided with Salga's national consultative
workshop at the Sandton Convention Centre, attended by over 200
municipalities. The workshop took place over two days to discuss
revising the white paper on local government, the proposed Regional
Electricity Distributors Establishment Bill (REDS) and working towards
a single public service in the country as proposed by the draft Public
Administration Management Bill.
Salga is an agglomeration of all the municipalities across the
country. It is made up of councillors from each municipality and is
headed by a 10-member management committee. It is mandated by the
Constitution to help the transformation of local government.
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