“Security should not be an issue,” Ramos Pinto, Portugal’s ambassador to South Africa, says the country is ready for the event.

Correio da Mañan – Extremist outskirts of the AWB [Movimento de Resistência Afrikaner criado por Terreblanche, que se opôs com violência à transição pós-apartheid no começo dos anos 1990] Does it have the potential to carry out terrorist attacks during the World Cup?

Ramos Pinto – South Africa is a country with many years of experience in organizing large-scale international events. Its security structures work in coordination with the police forces of many other states, as well as with organizations of the international community.

– Safety guaranteed.

– I have no reason to doubt South Africa’s ability to prevent and effectively respond to security problems.

– In other words, from this point of view, the World Cup will be successful.

– I am convinced that the conditions for this have been created.

– In addition to security, there is the issue of the social and political environment. Didn’t Terreblanche’s murder jeopardize the process of national reconciliation?

– No. Terreblanche’s murder was not politically motivated. It was a labor conflict with a tragic outcome. Moreover, it is important not to lose sight of the fact that Terreblanche was the historical leader of a very minority movement.

– How do you analyze the level of support from both the neo-Nazi nationalists AWB and the radical Julius Malema? [líder da juventude do ANC – Congresso Nacional Africano, partido no poder]?

– The vast majority of South Africa’s population strives to live in peace in a multiracial and multicultural country. As in other societies, there are marginalized people with extremist tendencies. But that’s all it takes.

PROFILE

João Nugent Ramos Pinto was born on August 11th, he is 60 years old and from Porto. He graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon, and throughout his diplomatic career he held various positions in several Portuguese embassies – Dublin, Washington, London – and was the Portuguese Ambassador to Dili.

DETAILS

5362 WEAPONS

South African police have “lost” 5,362 weapons in the past two years, the responsible minister said yesterday.

ARSENAL

Some of the missing weapons were part of the police arsenal, some were in warehouses as attachments to criminal cases being considered in court.

238 PERCENT

In KwaZulu-Natal, the number of firearms missing from police stations has increased by 238%.

ARSENAL

Firearms are even being stolen from the national police headquarters in Pretoria.

Vuvuzela: PARREIRA

“We need a vuvuzela. He is our 12th player and he will help us a lot. We feel excitement, tension,” explained Carlos Alberto Parreira, coach of the South African national team.

LIPPI: 24TH PLAYER

“It is likely that the 24th player will go to South Africa due to physical conditions. [lesão no menisco esquerdo] Camoranesi,” Italian coach Marcelo Lippi said yesterday.

TIAGO: NEGOTIATIONS

Atlético Madrid sporting director Jesus Garcia Pitarch (pictured) is in Turin negotiating Thiago’s permanent move from Juventus to the Spanish capital.

PETROVICH: SERBIA

Yesterday Serbia drew 0-0 with Poland in another game in preparation for the World Cup. Radosav Petrovic, Sporting’s desired player, received a yellow card.

MILITARY: INTER RESISTS

Diego Milito, the Inter striker Mourinho wants to take to Real Madrid, is expected to extend his contract with the Nerazzurri, president Massimo Moratti said yesterday.

CORRECT: VALDEZ.

Victor Valdes, the Barcelona goalkeeper, received praise from coach Vicente Del Bosque yesterday. “He was very right, although he knew that he would not start”