Diplomats, celebrities and wealthy businessmen are scrambling to secure personal bodyguards for the Soccer World Cup, the Sunday Times reported.

The newspaper said that requests from across the world peaked after last week's 100-day celebrations to the tournament's kick-off and this would see several top-end security specialists being fully booked.

Dynamic Alternatives co-director, Gavriel Schneider, said clients making requests for the service included executives, individuals and groups from the financial, sporting, industrial and mining sectors.

Their requests ranged from around the clock protection to escorts to and from stadiums and tourist destinations.

He said it would cost about R3 000 per day for the services of a bodyguard.

Chris Beukes, head of TSU Protection Services, said his staff would be working around the clock during the tournament.

"It starts at the airport, picking up clients and escorting them throughout the visit," he said.

Tommy Meiring, a co-director of Legosec security, said his bookings almost tripled after the 100-day celebrations.

He said some foreigners have asked about terror attacks and others requested overnight duty services at hotels.

Shots fired at Jo'burg World Cup commuter buses
(AFP) – 21 hours ago

JOHANNESBURG — Shots were fired at Johannesburg's new public buses introduced for the World Cup on Friday but passengers escaped unharmed, police said on Saturday.

"Four occupants in a sedan shot at a BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) bus last night (Friday) but no one was injured," police spokesman captain Katlego Mogale said.

Friday's shooting was the third such incident involving the BRT.

Days after its launch last August a policeman and a passenger were shot on a bus travelling to Soweto township on the outskirts of Johannesburg.

A third passenger was injured in March.

The new public transport system connecting Soweto and Johannesburg has angered the mafia-like minibus taxi industry that dominates the city's commuter routes.

The taxis fear they will be put out of business by the sleek modern buses. Protests by taxi operators often turn violent, while rival fleets have waged deadly turf wars over their routes.

President Jacob Zuma had to delay the BRT's launch to try to win over the taxi industry, preventing the use of the buses at the 2010 World Cup curtainraiser Confederations Cup tournament last June.

Since then, the government has pressed ahead, seeing the buses as the first step in overhauling the nation's public transport.

On a recent flight from Cape Town, the safety instructions included this gem: "In the unlikely event of Bafana Bafana winning the World Cup or the cabin being depressurised, oxygen masks will drop from the ceiling."

If these tournaments are not worth it why do so many countries want to host it? Why do Australia still do it after so many major sporting events in the last few years (Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Rugby World Cup, F1 Grand Prix, etc)? Is there something they have not worked out? Yes, it costs lots of money, but it has a long term benefit.

Moore pointed out that a large number of Latin American airlines, including AeroMexico, LAN Chile and TAM from Brazil, are putting on special charter flights during the World Cup.


Surprisingly, with 13 European countries taking part in the tournament, few airlines from the region are adding flights to their schedules, apart from Air France.


The airline recently introduced the 538-seat Airbus A380 on the Paris-Johannesburg route, which it will use for its daily flights. During the tournament, Air France will add an extra three flights a week using a Boeing 777.


The other big European carriers, Lufthansa and British Airways, will not be adding any additional capacity to their already extensive flights. However, travel group Thomas Cook has been given the rights to operate charter flights from London .


Emirates, the official World Cup airline, has not added any additional capacity.


“We have seen good demand over the World Cup but as yet there has been no need to add extra flights,” said Fouad Caunhye, Emirates regional manager in southern Africa.


Australian carriers have not added aircraft to their South African routes. Qantas will add a special flight from Melbourne to Johannesburg only on May 26, when Australian fans can join their team on their way to the World Cup.

A South African budget airline has pulled its tongue-in-cheek advert after a Fifa complaint that it infringed its trademark during the 2010 World Cup.
kulula.com's ad described the firm as the "Unofficial National Carrier of the You-Know-What". It also had pictures of stadiums, vuvuzelas and national flags.
But Fifa said the airline could not use the symbols - even the word "South Africa", kulula.com's spokeswoman said.
Fifa, however, said the images taken together were "ambush marketing".
'Pushing boundary'
"For the record, FIFA did not tell Kulula that they could not use soccer balls, or the word 'South Africa', or the Cape Town stadium, or the national flag or vuvuzelas," said a statement from football's world governing body.
It was the combination of these elements which were banned, the statement said.
Fifa said the advert breached South African law "by seeking to gain a promotional benefit for the kulula brand by creating an unauthorised association with the 2010 FIFA World Cup".

The Lufthansa A380 will celebrate its first long-haul flight in style with an array of special guests on board: The special flight operated by Lufthansa’s new flagship on Sunday, 6 June, will be carrying the German team to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The A380, with flight number LH2010 on the Frankfurt-Johannesburg route, leaves Frankfurt Airport
at 20.30 hours and will arrive in Johannesburg at 8.15 hours local time. In addition to the team, DFB trainers and assistants, around 150 soccer fans will also be making the journey on the A380.

As of mid-March, at least 100 aircraft had booked to arrive at the company’s Lanseria FBO during the tournament, and another 50 at its Cape Town facility. ExecuJet Aviation South Africa managing director Ettore Poggi is expecting many more to knock on his door in the next few weeks. To date, most of the early bookings have come from the U.S., South America and Europe, he said.

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Anyone got details on the Thomas Cook Charters, or any other charters? What aircraft will LAN use... A340's? Aeromexico B777 perhpas?

Any schedules around for the LAN flights to South Africa?