Bheki Cele recalls how SAPS saved the 2010 World Cup by calming FIFA’s crime fears
- Bheki Cele claimed SAPS played a key role in saving South Africa’s 2010 FIFA World Cup amid FIFA’s safety concerns
- Cele said he and Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi led a task team that convinced FIFA South Africa was ready
- The former minister told Parliament that Britain and Germany had pushed for the tournament to be moved due to crime fears
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Former Police Minister Bheki Cele told the Parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee on Thursday, 23 October 2025, that the South African Police Service (SAPS) played a decisive role in saving the 2010 FIFA World Cup from being taken away from South Africa.
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Cele said he and KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi led a special task team that convinced FIFA to keep the tournament in South Africa.
According to Cele, SAFA President Danny Jordaan had informed him of FIFA’s growing safety and crime concerns, following complaints from then FIFA Secretary-General Jérôme Valcke. In response, Cele assembled a team of police generals to travel abroad and reassure football’s world governing body.
“South Africans don’t know that the South African Police Service saved the World Cup,” Cele said. “
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"Brigadier (Nhlanhla) Mkhwanazi was part of the team. He was quite junior at the time, but for some reason, I found myself working closely with him.”
British and German fears over South Africa’s security
Cele admitted that the strongest complaints about security came from British officials, while Germany, which had hosted the 2006 World Cup, was reportedly ready to step in and replace South Africa as host if FIFA’s concerns persisted.
He said this period was tense but served as a rallying point for the police service to prove its capability.
“The 2010 World Cup gave us focus,” Cele told Parliament.
“Together with the team we assembled, including then Brigadier Mkhwanazi, we developed and implemented a comprehensive security plan that involved deploying thousands of officers, improving intelligence gathering, and collaborating closely with foreign law enforcement agencies.”
Source: Getty Images
How SAPS assured FIFA South Africa was ready
Cele explained that his delegation even travelled to FIFA headquarters in Zurich to present detailed plans and provide assurances about South Africa’s readiness to host the global event.
“We led delegations to FIFA headquarters in Zurich to demonstrate our preparedness. I believe SAPS played a crucial role in the successful and safe hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and I’m proud of the work we did,” he said.
Cele was appeared before the Parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee investigating allegations of criminal infiltration within the SAPS, using the 2010 World Cup example to highlight the police service’s competence during that era.
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During his testimony, Cele agreed with Mkhwanazi’s views regarding the disbandment of the Political Killing Task Team (PKTT).
Marawa makes a cheeky comment about Donald Trump
Briefly News previously reported that sports broadcaster Robert Marawa, following Bafana Bafana’s qualification for the FIFA World Cup on Tuesday, 14 October 2025, shared a cheeky post on X, seemingly aiming at US President Donald Trump and the group of 49 Afrikaner refugees who relocated to America earlier this year.
Marawa’s post was widely read as a light-hearted jab, mocking the irony that South Africans are now preparing to travel to the United States for football’s biggest event.
Source: Briefly News
