I wish to respond to the opinion piece by Husain T, ‘Host City or Not’ in your issue of 11 -12 February 2010
Firstly let me applaud the author of the opinion piece for the observation and comments. It shows that he is very interested in what the host city is doing or not doing.
It is correct that other host cities have started with the decoration of their cities with their focal point being to showcase their readiness to host the multitude of people who will be visiting their shores.
On the other hand, I would like to disagree with a statement about the municipality not doing anything about the situation. The 2010 Directorate is aware of what other host cities are doing but we have our own plans and for the benefit of the readers, the city dressing will commence in phases starting with the stadium precinct as from early March 2010. The decoration of the city and surroundings including the main entrances will commence towards mid March 2010.
As we have been saying through our various communication channels, I want to highlight that certain dressing and branding of the city have limited life spans e.g. flags, posters and billboards which could become dirty and worn out due to extreme weather conditions.
The design of the high mast street lights within the city and stadium was deliberately done in that way to accommodate branding and dressing of the host city. Designs of the branding are at an advanced stage.
The construction of the artistic feature at the city’s entrance circle has commenced and should be completed before end of March 2010.
Lastly I would like to highlight the following major achievements which had to be completed before we commence the process of dressing the city:
• The stadium was completed and has been handed over to the host city
• Road infrastructure has been completed
• Landscaping and paving of the stadium precinct is progressing well and city beautification is ongoing
• Branded taxis, buses, billboards, the countdown clock at Library Gardens and the big Adidas Jabulani ball at Savannah Mall are some of the initiatives already in place
• A state-of-the-art Visitor Information Centre with touch screens, reservation desks, internet cafe and coffee shop has been completed and is now functional.
Agreed, we should and will boldly and proudly showcase our readiness as a host city.
It is about our People, Our Place and Our Pride.

Mantlako Sebaka
Manager: 2010 Marketing and Communications