Govt happy with safety measures for Confeds Cup

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Johannesburg - Deputy Minister of Police Fikile Mbalula says Government is happy with the general security at Confederations Cup matches.

With at least three more matches remaining to be played, Mr Mbalula said on Monday, although there had been reports of isolated incidents, there has been no major security breach at any of the games played.

"Police have been working hard thus far and as government, we are happy with the standard of security measures utilised by law enforcement agencies.

"The security set has been firm and we salute the men and women in blue who have shown great commitment in ensuring that every person's safety is guaranteed," he said.

The deputy minister added that government in general was impressed with the crowd control measures that were put in place and there had been no major criminal elements or act of hooliganism reported.

Regarding the Egyptian incident, which has dominated international media, Mr Mbalula said police were working on the matter and it was anticipated to be finalised soon.

"This matter was very unfortunate and police will finalise the matter in a little while. But we also encourage people to take responsibility and not invite security unfriendly individuals to their hotels.

"However police are still investigating and we hope that the end product will be successful and bring the criminals to book," Mr Mbalula said.

Meanwhile, LOC Chief Executive Officer Danny Jordaan confirmed that at the moment all teams were impressed with the standard of security and hospitality in general.

"Police and other law enforcement agencies have done a wonderful job thus far in ensuring safety and security in and outside stadiums.

"We urge the international media not to sensationalise the issue of crime. They must report on fact and not generalise and come to unjustified conclusions," he said.

Government has invested more than R1 billion to ensure that the safety and security requirements for the Festival of Champions is met.