An office staffed by a full-time secretariat will be set up to ensure the smooth co-ordination of planning and management for the 2010 World Cup in the Eastern Cape.

At a meeting of the Portfolio Committee on Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture here yesterday, department head Bubele Mfenyana said R1,5-million of the department’s total budget of R268-million for 2005/06 had been set aside for preparations for the World Cup.

Mfenyana said a portion of the budget would go to the establishment of a 2010 World Cup office and the appointment of a full-time secretariat to ensure “proper co-ordination and management”.

According to the department’s annual plan, the establishment of the office is scheduled to take place during the first quarter of the financial year, and it should be in place by the end of June.

Mfenyana said the department had already held discussions with the Eastern Cape Development Corporation to find out if the corporation could provide it with suitable accommodation for the office.

“We are looking for someone who can offer us an office at a cheaper price so that most of the R1,5-million budget can go towards paying staff,” Mfenyana said. The department planned to advertise the post of strategic manager for the 2010 World Cup office.

However, the Eastern Cape 2010 Soccer World Cup co-ordinating committee would be meeting in Port Elizabeth today and he had requested the committee to report back about its progress and state of readiness. The department also planned to hold a strategic planning workshop for the World Cup some time between July and December.

Mfenyana said the department would then carry out an evaluation of the project up until that point and continue with advanced planning for the next financial year.