As the head of the City's 2010 unit, Sibongile Mazibuko has her work cut out for her over the next three years. It is her task to ensure Joburg meets its commitments to FIFA.

Sibongile Mazibuko, executive director of Joburg 2010

AS the key host city, Johannesburg will be squarely in the global spotlight during the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup.

It is to host 16 of the 64 world cup games, including the opening and closing matches, and the opening and closing ceremonies for the world's largest sporting event. Both FIFA, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, and the Local Organising Committee have set up their world cup bases in Joburg.

Jozi will also feature large internationally as television broadcasts take it into the homes of billions of viewers around the world.

And the responsibility for ensuring that the City's input into the mammoth event runs smoothly sits firmly on the shoulders of Sibongile Mazibuko. As the City's executive director for 2010, Mazibuko has to galvanise all City departments and entities, ensuring that they operate seamlessly to get all training and match venues ready. She must also ensure that all local services run efficiently throughout the tournament.

For the next three years, Mazibuko will oversee the City's preparations for the soccer spectacular. It is up to her to make sure there is efficient transport to ferry commuters to and from match venues, that electricity supplies are not interrupted, that the emergency services can respond swiftly to fires, accidents and injuries, that all visitors have a place to stay, and that Joburgers welcome their visitors with open arms.


FIFA commitments
In short, Mazibuko has to ensure that Joburg fulfils its commitments to FIFA. Her job is to co-ordinate the myriad activities in the city related to 2010, networking with the 2010 role players, going on on-site inspections, managing various 2010 projects, drawing up funding applications and developing key 2010 strategies for the city.

She also has to represent Johannesburg at the monthly meetings of the Host City Forum, chaired by Sidney Mufamadi, the minister for provincial and local government.

Yet while she travels far and wide to meet and greet many important names across the globe, Mazibuko still makes time to go to church, where she gets to socialise with ordinary people.

On Sundays, she dresses in the green and yellow uniform of the women of the Zion Christian Church (ZCC), making her way to the ZCC church in Orlando, in Soweto for her spiritual upliftment. "I grew up in the church. All of us need a source of inspiration and energy. I am a staunch Christian." It is her religion, Mazibuko says, that keeps her focussed and motivated.

She is an unpretentious, deeply spiritual woman who feels at ease among simple folk - Mazibuko believes that successful people should remain humble. "When things are going your way, you must stick to the ladder that you used going up. Don't kick it."

Under the 2010 unit are directors from key City departments, including the executive director for transport, Bob Stanway, and the director for marketing, Elsabe Booyens.

Executive Mayor Amos Masondo has also appointed a 2010 mayoral sub-committee comprising of eight mayoral committee members: Nandi Mayathula-Khoza, the chairperson; Parks Tau; Rehana Moosajee; Ros Greef; Matshidiso Mfikoe; Prema Naidoo; Ruby Mathang and Thomas Phakathi. The committee was set up to support the City's 2010 preparations.


Challenges

The challenges are immense and the timelines rather tight, but Mazibuko is unfazed. "Throughout my career, I have been lucky in getting opportunities to do new things."
With almost two decades of experience in municipal management behind her, most recently as Johannesburg's chief operating officer, she is ready for a job that has no room for error. "My responsibility as the COO prepared me for this role."

Her previous appointments have allowed her to "develop the ability to co-ordinate in a focussed manner. I can multi-task and run multiple processes without dropping the ball."

She holds an LLB degree from Turfloop University and is completing a Masters of Business degree at the Wits Business School.

Mazibuko has set a target of completing all strategies and programmes by March. "We are planning and implementing at the same time," she says. The mother of two clearly relishes the challenge, but admits to anxious moments. "I do have some sleepless nights. It is a really huge task."

At work she is involved in huge decisions and is responsible for a vast team, and at home she insists on performing domestic chores whenever possible. "I still cook everything, by the way."

Mazibuko began her mammoth task with a modest budget of R24-million. "But the budget has been growing exponentially." It is expected to run into billions of rands once all the projects are on the go and all the sponsors have come on board.

Already the national Department of Sport and Recreation has allocated over R1,5-billion for upgrading the FNB Stadium (also known as Soccer City) and Ellis Park – the two main venues of the tournament.

Preparations
One of her primary responsibilities is to oversee the upgrading of match and training venues. In Johannesburg, Ellis Park and Soccer City will be match venues, with one of them probably hosting the final game.

Other football stadiums are also being upgraded to provide training venues, including Orlando Stadium, Dobsonville Stadium, Rand Stadium, Rabie Ridge Stadium, Cecil Payne Stadium and Ruimsig Stadium.

Mazibuko expects work on all these to be finished by 2009: in developing stadiums, "we look at the precinct – how the facility works within the precinct", she explains.

In addition, she has to make sure that the City's public transport system functions smoothly and that Joburg is a safe haven for all 2010 visitors.

Legacy projects
The world cup is an opportunity for the City to accelerate service delivery, Masondo believes. "The question we asked ourselves is: how do we use 2010 to leave a lasting legacy for Joburg?"

In light of this, Mazibuko has pledged to ensure that Johannesburg derives long-term developmental benefits that go beyond the soccer pitch. Lasting legacy projects, non-sport developments that will provide a catalyst for service delivery, have been identified, many of which are planned for Soweto, her home turf.

"The 2010 FIFA World Cup provides an impetus for us to accelerate the delivery of services."

At its final sitting of the year on 7 December 2006, the council approved various legacy projects, including:

• Building a theatre complex in Soweto;
• Setting up a citywide broadband network;
• Greening 94 soccer fields in Soweto;
• Installing litter bins, informal trading stalls, street lighting and benches in the inner city;
• Developing the Klipspruit River, which flows through Soweto;
• Redeveloping the Diepkloof Hostel;
• Developing an Olympic-sized swimming pool and gymnastics arena in Orlando; and
• Developing the Jabavu Stadium precinct to provide housing for people displaced by the Orlando swimming pool project.

In addition, the City is overhauling its public transport infrastructure by creating special lanes for hundreds of new buses to be introduced under the multi-billion rand Bus Rapid Transport plan. In total, over R1-billion has been ring-fenced for legacy projects.

Her job will be done when the City has met its commitment to FIFA to deliver a successful World Cup, Mazibuko says – "when we have completed all the projects within the set timeframes".

She sits back, contemplating the future. "For me personally, that will be when I see my bosses smiling, knowing that we have delivered."