The City of Cape Town has drafted a by-law to help it make the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ event a success, and is inviting public comments thereon up to the end of October.

Hosting matches for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ means that the City needs to have certain rules and regulations in place to cope with the expected influx of people into the city and around the stadium. This is also a stipulation of the host city agreement that the City has signed with FIFA.

The by-law will enable the City to:

• regulate advertising related to the World Cup
• administer controlled access sites
• regulate special events that form part of the World Cup and administer, manage and maintain the neatness of public open spaces associated with the event
• adopt appropriate traffic guidance, management and control measures, including providing road users with information about road closures, detours, parking areas, traffic-free zones, and where possible, giving them directions and suitable routes to and from stadiums and official events
• regulate street trading

The provisions on advertising are particularly strict to ensure that there is no ‘ambush’ marketing within a one kilometre radius of the stadium, near a FIFA fan park, or on any road leading to the stadium, during the Final Draw (where the final 32 teams taking part in the tournament, and the groups they play in, will be announced), or at any stage of the competition.

‘Ambush’ marketing is a term used to refer to any advertising activity that implies an association with the competition, and capitalises on it.

FIFA owns all media, marketing, licensing and ticketing rights for rights for the World Cup, and grants licences and broadcast rights to its main sponsors, who pay millions of dollars for the rights to global advertising, promotions and marketing relating to the event. FIFA guards these rights very closely, hence the requirement that host cities have by-laws governing this in place.

All advertising activity, except with prior approval of the City Manager, will also be prohibited outside airports, train stations, routes into town, and within a one kilometre radius of the CBD.

The by-law also contains information on controlled access sites, which include all locations of match and official event locations, training sites, team and delegate hotels, and the Exclusion Zone, which is the area immediately outside the perimeter of the stadium.

Street traders will need the approval of the City Manager to operate in designated areas, and will be required to abide by certain rules, such as keeping their areas clean and not conducting ambush marketing.

The by-law will not be permanent, and will only apply for limited periods during 2010, and only to defined precincts around the Green Point Stadium, and other indentified areas within the city, such as at the Fan Parks and training venues.

Transgressions of the by-law will result in a fine not exceeding R10 000.

The full by-law is available for closer inspection at subcouncil offices and libraries across the city, as well as on the City’s website (click here).

Interested parties who wish to comment on the by-law can do so in writing or by verbal representation, by no later than October 30, 2008. Written submissions can be addressed to:

Director 2010: Operations
2010 World Cup
Service Delivery Integration
18th Floor
Cape Town Civic Centre
8001 Cape Town

Tel: 021 400 4689
Fax: 021 400 4854
E-mail: nafeesa.williams@capetown.gov.za