The ports at the Eastern Cape cities of East London and Port Elizabeth following a provincial government decision that will allow soccer fans to commute by sea during the 2010 Soccer World Cup in South Africa.

A complementary aspect to this will be an audit of the safety aspects of the ports, according to MEC for safety, liaison, roads and transport Thobile Mlhalho. He indicated that the government of the province would like to see people commuting by sea between the cities to watch the matches, and that this would be the safest mode of transport once safety requirements had been met.

The project is envisaged as contributing to the government’s tourism development strategy and as an aspect of its provincial growth and development plan. The department has indicated that the revival of ports in the province, including the river port at Port St Johns, will commence shortly.