2010 plans upset South Africa’s taxis
By Lucy Fleming BBC News
As South Africa rolls out new buses in Johannesburg ahead of the 2010 football World Cup, thousands of minibus taxi-drivers in Cape Town want to put the brakes on a similar plan to revamp the coastal city’s transport system.
They fear the government’s intentions to improve transport for football fans and leave what has been termed a “legacy project” in the cities hosting the tournament will cost them their jobs.
They only care about their pockets
Minibus taxi passenger
“This soccer World Cup seems like it is coming to just chop our necks off, because it’s taking our bread from the table. They’ll push us out of a business,” says Mandla Mata, chair of the Western Cape National Taxi Alliance (WCNTA).
But the City of Cape Town says such worries are unfounded and the World Cup is an opportunity to introduce a bus-based public transport system that is reliable, scheduled and safe, while improving services to some areas.
This would be a relief to many commuters who feel their needs and safety are not always central to the taxis.
“They only care about their pockets,” one passenger travelling between Khayletsha and Bellville said, pointing out that the window next to him could not open.
“You mustn’t trust these guys if they lose their temper,” he added – and related a story about how a female passenger lost her eye after she was attacked by a driver for not having the fare.
Improved public transport may also encourage drivers to leave their cars at home, which would help ease the city’s terrible rush-hour traffic jams.
Taxi drivers worry about their future as they eat breakfast
City planners have said Cape Town’s Integrated Rapid Transport (IRT) system will be based on the existing minibus and bus industries.
“They will be the drivers of the system. In the first phase we want them to form two companies – so we have a competitive element – and they operate the IRT system for the city – the feeder buses and the trunk routes,” explains City of Cape Town spokeswoman Kylie Hatton.
Minibus owners would be given shares in a company based on their current market share.
And if anything, Ms Hatton says, the IRT would mean drivers who work long hours without holiday and sick leave will be better off.
“They’ll be moving into a system where they will have fixed working hours and it won’t be passenger-based system, it’ll be a kilometres-travelled system.”
The financial pressure to make as many trips as possible is seen as one factor in the minibus taxis’ poor safety record.
Apartheid legacy
At Bellville taxi rank, about 20km from Cape Town city centre, one driver admitted it would be good to work an eight-hour day instead of the 12 to 16 hours most work.
Lack of regulation has allowed the space for a certain lawlessness to creep in – that needs to be dealt with
Kylie HattonCity of Cape Town spokeswoman
But the general belief amongst the drivers chatting by their buses and eating breakfast after the morning rush hour was that they could not trust any dictum from on high.
“We’re not interested in IRT – they want to take over our transportation,” said one driver, who had been up since 3.00am.
“They’re taking away what has belonged to us for so many years,” another said.
This ownership of the industry seems to be at the crux of problem for the City of Cape Town.
The minibus taxi industry was one of the few areas of the economy that black business was allowed to run under apartheid.
And taxi operators guard their hard-fought independence and self-regulation with pride.
Mr Mata says each route, which can have up to 50 owner-operators each with between six and 10 vehicles, is run by an association.
Vendors fear their business will also be affected by the IRT
They ensure that drivers, who get about 25% of their bus’s takings, only ply one route to avoid the fierce battles over territory that have given the industry such a bad reputation.
Strict rules also apply in the ranks so that drivers cannot jump the queue.
Yet 15 years since the end of apartheid, the relationship between the minibus taxis and the government are still fraught.
Taxi-owners complain that a government initiative to scrap older vehicles for newer, safer models by subsiding loans did not materialise for many.
This so-called recapitalisation scheme and what taxi-drivers see as harassment from the police checking permits and safety has left them even more distrustful of the authorities.
“I understand the sensitivities,” says Ms Hatton.
“But unfortunately it is an industry that has been largely unregulated – that lack of regulation has also allowed the space for a certain lawlessness to creep in as well – and that needs to be dealt with.”
“Approximately 40% of taxi drivers in the city operate without a permit,” she says.
Buses are not timetabled and only leave when full
Negotiations are ongoing between the WCNTA and transport officials to tackle such problems, but Mr Mata says they should not see this as a nod from his members to the IRT.
He says their main opposition to it stems from the fact that they have not been included at the planning stages.
“They say it’s going to happen whatever, like it or not,” Mr Mata says.
“If they can’t listen to us then it is not a democracy – it’s despotism; it’s like the last generation when they decided everything for you.”
Ms Hatton urges patience and says the IRT will be phased in slowly.
After the introduction of rapid bus link between the airport and city centre this year, a pilot project will be rolled out along the poorly serviced west coast.
You can see that it is not promises that they can fulfil
WCTA’s Mandla Mata
Only after this – in 2011 or 2012 – will other Cape Town routes will be affected.
“There is no big bang approach – there’s no attempt to put people in financial stress,” she says, adding that most of the transport industry is on board and it is only a minority who oppose the scheme.
It is difficult to come by numbers, but Mr Mata says his alliance represents about 152 routes – with more than 45,000 drivers – and their support is growing.
It has held several strikes this year bringing misery to commuters, especially those living in townships around Cape Town who rely on taxis to get to work.
The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) recently called off a national strike in protest at the similar Johannesburg bus system following warnings from the government.
But Mr Mata says in the Western Cape more taxi stayaways are on the cards before the World Cup kicks off.
“They are promising a lot of promises but you can see that it is not promises that they can fulfil – they’re just blinding us.”
South Africa buoyed by Preliminary Draw success
2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa Board Member (OC) and owner of the Kaizer Chiefs Football Club, Kaizer Motaung, was very pleased with the outcome of the draw.
“Well first of all it was great to be part of this auspicious occasion and obviously it is quite exciting to be part of an event of this magnitude. It is also gratifying to see that this dream is becoming a reality and that we are getting closer and ready to hosting this huge world event. And it bodes well for Africa because it is the first of its kind and I am sure its going to leave a long lasting legacy for us. I think the real work starts now and for the next two years there is obviously a lot of work to be done to make sure we are able to deliver a very good final product,” said Motaung, who was one of the Preliminary Draw assistants.
The General-Secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), Zwelinzima Vavi, who is also an OC Board Member, expressed his views about the significance of the preliminary draw event and said that despite their right to strike, construction workers at World Cup stadiums are 100% behind the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.
“Remember there has been a lot of doubt over our ability. This (the draw) was an important opportunity for us to say that the executive of FIFA in 2004 was right (to award South Africa the tournament), that this is Africa’s time and we are ready. And I think it was very important that we make that statement and I think we made it very well”.
As the labour representative of the OC Board, Vavi confidently spoke about the importance of the workforce in the context of football.
“Workers are basically the number one supporters of football. Football is a working class sport and despite the fact that workers may go on strike to demand a better cut of the cake, they can never ever have any intention to sabotage our ability to host a successful World Cup in 2010. Because soccer is workers and workers are soccer. And this is their life, this is their sport and this is their emotions. I am very happy that those workers who now have their issues resolved welcomed the president of FIFA (during a stadium inspection of Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban) in such an enthusiastic fashion. It was a great statement by those workers indeed, just like it is a great statement by all the workers who work overtime, work long hours and work very hard to make sure that all the stadiums are ready in time. They know that the that whole African continent have their hopes and aspirations on the shoulders of those who have been given that responsibility to build that infrastructure that will put us up on the map of the world”.
“So congratulations to those workers and we know that they will do the country very proud. Their commitment to a successful 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa cannot be doubted. They are only workers and they will always raise issues about their wages and working conditions but that can’t be understood to be a deliberate attempt to undermine our effort to hold a successful World Cup in 2010. And I am happy that they demonstrated that to the president of FIFA and they are demonstrating that every day too by working extra hours to make sure that we are ready on time,” said Vavi.
Moeketsi Mosola, the Chief Eexecutive Officer of South African Tourism, was extremely excited about significance of the success of the Preliminary Draw and the confidence it gave the international community.
“I think if there was any doubt the world saw tonight what South Africa is capable of. This is the first of the four big events that will take place over the next two and a half years and there is definitely no doubt that at the heart of what we are doing is our people. And really we are very proud of what the South African Local Organising Committee has put together and as a South African I can tell you definitely that I feel very proud of what happened here tonight.”
“We have always known that we can actually do this in 2010. People will leave this country knowing exactly that World Cup 2010 is in safe hands, is in good hands and basically people need to start booking their holidays come 2010,” said Mosola.
“People have felt the humanity of our people in the last few days and I know some people will be staying for a few more days. That’s why I keep saying that people must start booking their next big holiday in 2010, because you are going to be having a great time on this beautiful continent. We were hosting at least 20 very key journalists and editors from around the world, half of which don’t want to go home tomorrow, they want to stay. Suffice to say their perceptions have been changed by what we have here. They been very surprised by the level of commitment from our government and our people. I am very excited and I am really glad to be living in these interesting times,” said Mosola in closing.
Ghanaian football legend, Abédi Pelé, was equally delighted by the success of the Preliminary Draw.
“Well I think its unbelievable that today all those who didn’t have the confidence in us are all very happy. That’s why the say this is the power of football, football brings people together. We have proved to the world that we cannot only play the game, but we can host it as well,” said Pele.
Barcelona Soccer Team Facts
Barcelona is a city long in love with sports, especially the Barcelona Soccer Team.
In addition to hosting the 1992 Summer Olympics, Barcelona hosted parts of the 1982 Football World Cup and has hosted the X FINA World Championship and Eurobasket. The city has two UEFA 5-star rated football stadiums: FC Barcelona's Nou Camp and the Estadi Ol?mpic Llu?s Companys.
FC Barcelona's soccer team is almost a way of life in Barcelona. The rivalry with Madrid rises almost to the point where Barcelona can be considered the Catalonia national team. FC Barca was founded on 29 November 1899 by Joan Gamper, who created the team colors of blue and claret from the Swiss canton in which he lived. Barcelona lost its first ever match with some English expatriates 0-1, but within ten years began a string of Catalan and Spanish championships lasting decades. FC Barcelona went though tough times in the rise to the Spanish Civil War and its aftermath, but was able to recover and by the mid 1940s resumed its championship ways.
FC Barcelona is a sports club containing basketball, handball, hockey, ice-hockey, figure skating, indoor football, rugby, baseball, volleyball and women's football, but the jewel in the crown has always been association football, or the Barcelona Soccer Team. The Barcelona team has qualified every year for the European competition since it was founded in 1955.
The club motto is "M?s que un club" and they refer to their stadium as "Camp Nou." In English these are "More than a club" and "Our Ground." Despite a slump at the turn of the century, FC Barcelona has assembled a talented team and once again resumed winning ways. The club currently has a five-year deal with UNICEF, wearing the emblem on their jerseys and paying $1.9 million a year for the privilege.
Among the many claims to fame of the Barca team are that it has more victories than any other Association Football team in the world. They also have more wins in the Copa del Rey, the Spanish tournament, than any other team with 24 victories. There are 18 La Liga Championships, 7 Supercopa de Espana, 2 EUFA Champions League, 4 EUFA Winner's Cups, 3 Inter-Cities Fairs Cups, 1 Inter-City Fairs Cup Trophy Play-off, 2 European Super Cups, 2 Copa Latina, 4 Copa de Oro Argentina, 22 Catalan Championships, 2 Copa Martina Rossi, 4 Coupe de Pyrenees, 1 Mediteranean League, 2 Copa de Ligua, 1 Copa Barcelona, 1 Lligua Catalana, 5 Copa Catalana and one Little World Cup. It is little wonder Barcelona has embraced the Barcelona Soccer Team and reveres it as a symbol of Catalonia.
Luca Robi is the owner and co-editor of http://www.BigBarcelona.com
Visit us if you want to learn more Information about Barcelona Soccer Team
Soccer Cleats – To Stud Or Not To Stud
Soccer boots, only correctly called cleats when they have the ground gripping teeth on the bottom of the shoe, have always been fodder for debate, among those who believe the screw in stud to be better than the molded teeth for traction or reliability. Many of the modern changes to soccer boots has come more from concerned parents, demanding the safest footwear for their young players, than it has from professional players, as might be believed.
There are basically three different types of soccer boots available, those being molded cleats, screw in studs, and these called 'astros' which are designed especially for use on astro turf. A good molded cleat is probably the best beginner boot, if play is to be on grass. They are easy to care for, and hitting them against each other or a wall will knock off most muddy, grassy build-up. Other than that, a rinse with warm water, and allowing them to thoroughly dry before wearing again will provide for about all the care these durable cleats will need.
If finances allow, it is wise to have two pairs of these soccer cleats for your young player, to insure one is thoroughly dry before re-wearing it. In the case of tournaments, where 3 or more games are played in a singe weekend, it is a great relief for those hard working feet to have fresh boots to put on. It is wise to note here that soccer slides, or sandals, are a very important item in the soccer bag. If the cleats are worn on hard surfaces for any length, the cleats will wear or break off much quicker than normal field use would cause.
When your player is ready to try screw in studs make certain they are fully prepared for the additional maintenance these boots will typically require. The simple cleaning of them is much the same as other molded boots, however, the screw in studs, or cleats, is where the care of these soccer boots makes a real difference in the performance they will afford the player.
The studs are available in plastic or metal, and it may be wise to determine which is allowed on your field, particularly if it is for youth play, prior to making your choice. It is possible that the sanctioning body at your playing fields may not allow screw in studs at all.
After you have made the decision to purchase soccer cleats with screw in studs, and have determined that the playing fields in your area do allow them, go to a sporting goods store that knows soccer, and has sales associates who will take the time to ensure your player gets a good, snug fit. This would be true even in the molded cleats, of course. Make certain the studs are screwed in tightly, and always carry extra studs in the soccer bag.
Inspecting the studs as the cleats are cleaned and put away after a match will prove wise, and help prevent a lost stud during a game. Never continue to play with a missing stud, it is harmful to the overall stability of the player, and can easily distort the hole so a new stud may not fit properly when replacing it is finally attempted. At first break in the game, replace the missing stud.
Astros are easy to care for, and can be used on grassy or hard surfaces. Basic cleaning is similar to the molded cleats.
Get all the latest in Soccer know how from the one and only true source at http://www.SoccerDetails.com. Be sure to check our soccer cleats page.
National Day Treat For Man United & Chelsea Fans !
GOOD NEWS for all Singaporeans especially if u are an EPL soccer fan ! Besides it being National Day next Sunday , Man United and Chelsea soccer fans in particular will get to watch their teams in Action LIVE all for FREE on Starhub Preview Channel , right after enjoying the NDP Parade !
After having brought to local Sports Fans all the Drama & Excitement in the one week long Asian Youth Games Tournament from 29 June 2009 to 7 July 2009 last month , Starhub Preview Channel ( Channel 01 ) is back to bring U even more Sporting Action to local Sports Fans this Month in August ! This comes after Starhub Cable announced today that they will be having a Free Preview for all of their Sports Channels starting next Saturday , 8 August 2009 onwards for a duration of two weeks till 23 August 2009 , where during this FREE Preview Period , Soccer Fans in Singapore will get to watch the highly anticipated Community Shield Clash between Man United vs Chelsea LIVE as well as one week of LIVE EPL Matches all for FREE LIVE on Starhub Preview Channel ( Channel 01 ) !
Starhub Star Sports ( Channel 24 ) will be showing the traditional EPL Curtain Raiser Match – the Community Shield LIVE from Wembley Stadium next Sunday , 9 August 2009 at 10pm ! The LIVE Match will also be carried to Starhub Preview Channel ( Channel 01 ) as well where even non Starhub Subscribers will get to watch this exciting Match LIVE !
Besides that , local EPL fans who only got to enjoy watching FREE EPL LIVE Matches on the last day of the League Season for the past two League Seasons where they allocated a total of eight Channels for LIVE screening of the last day games , will now get to watch the Season Opening Day Match LIVE for FREE on Starhub Preview Channel this Season starting 15 August 2009 onwards for a week till Sunday , 23 August 2009 !
* Catch Man United vs Chelsea In The Community Shield Next Sunday , 9 August 2009 LIVE & EXCLUSIVE on Starhub Preview Channel ( Channel 01 ) & Star Sports Channel 24 at 10pm ! *
