Recently promoted head of legal affairs, Leslie Sedide said two million tickets would be made available to the general public for the World Cup, while 120,000 more tickets were set aside to be given away for free to "nation builders".
Sedide said this would likely include people who had built stadiums and roads before the World Cup.
Tickets will go on sale in February 2009 via Fifa's website. There will also be paper ticket applications available at various outlets in South Africa, and internationally on request.
At SAFA house, chief officers of the organising committee gave a taster of some of the logistics involved in preparing for the world cup tournament. Fifty-five thousand rooms were needed for accommodations, R13.6 billion had been invested into transport programmes, a 30,000 square metre international broadcasting centre was being built and about ten
fan parks would be set up.
Transports and logistics chief officer Skhumbuzi Macozoma said 14,000 new luxury and semi-luxury couches would be brought in, to be used during the torunament, and 10,000 taxis would be contracted to event routes. Host cities would be adding extra commuter buses and extending their operating hours.
Information Technology and Teller communications chief officer Phumlani Moholi said broadcasting for the World Cup was very sensitive to power fluctuations, but work was being done to ensure stable power was available throughout.
Derek Carstens, who was appointed marketing chief officer on September 1, said he would ensure the World Cup would be a commercial success and have a lasting legacy for South Africa.
"It's got an enormous role to play to generate national cohesion that we have not seen since the elections [1994]."
CEO of the organising committee Danny Jordaan said that now that the Beijing Olympics was finished, the focus was on the 2010 World Cup and updates on progress for preparations would now be provided as regularly as possible.
Jordaan told reporters the organising committee would need to engage with government where preparation costs had gone over budget. He said these budget overspends were related to factors in the global economy beyond Fifa's control, such has the rising price of diesel.
Source: Sapa
