The rocks around Barberton in Mpumalanga are some of the most ancient in the world – over three billion years old. Because they are also the most accessible, NASA scientists come here to gain an idea of how life might form on distant planets.
Almost 70.000 people from around the world have applied to volunteer for the 2010 Fifa World Cup. There are a mix of people from 170 different countires, and the largest number of applications from outside South Africa came from Nigeria with 750, followed by 554 from the United States, 489 from Brazil, 449 from Zimbabwe, 414 from Italy, 375 from Cameroon, 109 from the Democratic Republic of Congo and 106 from Lesotho.
“We would like to thank the thousands of people who applied to be volunteers,” LOC chief executive Danny Jordaan said. “The programme has certainly proved to be hugely popular and we are honoured by the incredible response we have received from around the world.”
The number of applications for the Germany 2006 Soccer World Cup was less than 50.000, which indicates a substantial increased interest worldwide now that South Africa is hosting this huge event.
SA Good News reports that most applicants expressed interest in providing administrative support for the tournament. Other popular areas included hospitality, ushering services, fan park services and information technology and telecommunications.
There are only 15.000 spots available, so applicants will be screened and interviews begin in December.
Reference: SA Good News