2003 Cricket World Cup announces high-powered security directorate

A high-powered directorate has been appointed to oversee and ensure proper delivery of all logistical aspects of safety and security for the 2003 Cricket World Cup in South Africa.

The directorate will report to the Executive Director and the Policy Committee of the world's premier cricket tournament.

The 2003 Security Directorate will be led by Patrick Ronan, a lawyer and former Department of Justice official who currently serves as chief executive officer of the Security Officers' Interim Board, the statutory regulator of the private security industry.

Other members of the directorate include:

Randall Howard, a senior labour representative who is currently the general secretary of the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) and a member of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) executive and its central executive committee;

Rory Steyn, a sports event security specialist who is retained as a consultant to the United Cricket Board and formerly the SAPS team leader of President Nelson Mandela's personal protection unit;

Mzwandile Simon, the current national chairperson of the security sector of the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) and a member of SATAWU's central executive committee;

Director Ben van Deventer, a senior SAPS official responsible for the national co-ordination of major event security.

In addition, the directorate will utilise the expertise of the Logistics Director of the 2003 CWC, Malcolm Tarbitt, and other ad hoc experts from time to time.

Dr Ali Bacher, executive director of the 2003 Cricket World Cup, said: "We have every confidence that through the calibre of representatives on the directorate and their strategy we will ensure that the tournament will be safe and incident-free."

Mr Ronan said: "Ours will be a team effort whose success will hinge on proper planning and joint co-operation between the private security sector, the State law enforcement agencies and organised labour.

"The activities of the directorate will, inter alia, in the execution of its weighty responsibilities, capture the essence of the Mission Statement of the 2003 Cricket World Cup and the societal plan of our government in as far as transformation and empowerment is concerned."

The directorate will make a presentation of its overall strategy to the 2003 CWC Policy Committee on August 17. Its brief is to provide a safe and secure environment for the teams, referees, umpires, media, VIPs and some 800,000 ticket holders who are expected to attend the tournament.

The directorate will not make any further statements until after August 17.