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| Written by Ndaba Dlamini | |
| Wednesday, 02 July 2008 | |
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JUNIOR NCUBE is excited. The Midrand resident is one of thousands of South Africans who have applied online to be a volunteer for the FIFA Confederations Cup South Africa 2009™, taking place in the country in 2009. Applications for the volunteer programme opened on Tuesday, 1 July, and the 31-year-old Ncube is sure he was one of the first people to log on to the FIFA Confederations Cup website and fill in the volunteer programme application form. "I am confident that I will be among the 5 000 volunteers who will offer their services during the Confederations Cup. As a Christian I have volunteered on many occasions to give a helping hand at many Christian events in the past 10 years." The Festival of Champions, as the Confederations Cup is popularly known, takes place from 14 to 28 June 2009 at five venues around the country and Ncube, a telecommunications engineer, is volunteering as a media information technology technician during the tournament. 
Anish Abraham hopes to land a position as a volunteer during the FIFA Confederations Cup South Africa 2009™.
A football fan, Ncube hopes to see his favourite team, Italy, in action. Italy will be among the eight teams playing in the competition, a precursor to the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. "I know I may not have the opportunity since I may be working most of the time, but at least I [would be able to] tell my friends I was there in person when they played," Ncube says with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. He knows volunteering does not involve any pay, but he hopes it will give him more experience in the telecommunications field. "I am also a social animal and I know I would gain invaluable contacts during the Confederations Cup," Ncube says. Another Joburg resident who hopes to benefit from volunteering at the Confederations Cup is Anish Abraham, from Bramley. An internet journalist, the 26-year-old Abraham also applied online and is confident of landing a volunteer spot in the media. "I am proficient in English and Hindi and this will assist the media in terms of translation," he says. Abraham watched the recent Euro 2008 competition with interest; he was betting on Germany clinching the title and so qualifying to compete in the Confederations Cup as European champions. "But it wasn't to be ... Germany is one of my favourite teams after South Africa and I hope they will be here in 2010 for the World Cup." Abraham has never been a volunteer before and this is one chance he hopes not to miss. "This is a chance for me to gain experience from working during the event, and being involved with an event that is coming to Africa for the first time. Also, I will be exposed to international [media] contingents," he says. Applications for volunteering close on 29 August. Onke Mjo, the local Organising Committee's volunteer programme manager, says about 5 000 specialist and general volunteers will be recruited for the Confederations Cup. Specialist volunteers are those with expert knowledge and particular skills, for example language, information technology and media skills. Related stories: |
