Gaborone – Botswana is sensing sinister designs by South Africa to sideline the country from the benefits that will accrue from the 2010 FIFA World Cup. At Tourism Pitso 2007 that ended on Wednesday 16 October, at the Gaborone International Convention Centre (GICC), the tourism industry learnt that South Africa appeared to be courting other countries while overlooking Botswana.Botswana was not mentioned alongside Zimbabwe, Swaziland and Mozambique as countries that will accommodate country team officials by 2010. Botswana takes this as an indication that South Africa is out to sideline it.
FIFA will need an estimated 55,000 rooms for the 2010 World Cup, but South Africa has pledged only 35,000, leaving a shortfall of 20,000.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Botswana Tourism Board (BTB) Myra Sekgororoane says a company called Match, which contracts accommodation for FIFA, has so far “roped in” only Swaziland, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
Reacting to this, the Minister of the Environment, Wildlife and Tourism, Kitso Mokaila, says South Africa is not treating Botswana as a true trading partner. “Some of you might have cousins in South Africa,” he told captains of the tourism industry, “but they are not our friends.” Mokaila told Tourism Pitso 2007 that he took the opportunity of the opening of the Mata-Mata Tourist Access Facility to raise the matter with his South African counterpart Marthinus van Schalwyk, who promised he would engage with Botswana.
Mata-Mata is an international tourist facility that lies between South Africa and Namibia but within the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (KTFP) that sprawls across Botswana and South Africa. Mata-Mata was opened last Friday by the Presidents of the respective three countries.
In talking to Schalwyk about the World Cup, Mokaila said he “did not mince my words”:
“We must take the bull by the horns,” an exasperated Mokaila said. “Everyday, they see us as a competitor. Maybe it is the time to look somewhere else. We are not begging.”
Subsequently, Mokaila and Sekgorororoane said those providing accommodation should be careful when dealing with World Cup contracts, adding that the problem with pre-booking was that there could be cancellations.
Even so, Tourism Pitso 2007 was told that Botswana’s 2010 World Cup Strategy is at an advanced stage. According to the approved strategy, the country can host two teams.
But the Strategy points to the need to refurbish the SSKB Stadium in Mogoditshane and the UB Stadium in Gaborone, as well as the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport.
Sekgororoane said Botswana is in the process of recruiting teams to stay in the country for pre-training camps. A high-level coordinator to work across government ministries will also be appointed.
Botswana is currently in talks with reputable teams, some of which have already qualified for the world’s largest football showpiece. It is believed one of the teams Botswana is in talks with is England. However, Botswana officials say the country faces infrastructural challenges, which have ruled out places like Francistown and Selebi-Phikwe, focusing only on Gaborone.
Botswana will have to come up with convincing plans for security, health and transport if it is to convince teams that the country is a good place for pre-training camps. The countries that Botswana targets will want to satisfy themselves that the country’s facilities are up to standard by means of on-site inspections.
The Botswana World Cup Strategy is ahead of other countries’ in the region. A task-force comprising the Botswana Football Association (BFA) and Botswana Tourism Board (BTB) was appointed in November 2006.
It presented its first report in March 2007, and made a special presentation to Cabinet in May.
Source: www.mmegi.bw
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