Port Elizabeth and the surrounding towns are being flooded with condoms for "ultimate safety" ahead of the soccer World Cup, local authorities said on Wednesday.
Nelson Mandela Bay municipality said it intended distributing 2.4 million condoms "to ensure ultimate safety at the tournament".
"Nelson Mandela Bay is ready to score," it said.
A first consignment of 1.2 million condoms had been received last week from the provincial health department, and another 1.2 million would arrive next week. About half a million of them had already been distributed to clinics, hospitals, business complexes and community facilities.
The condoms would also be available to hotels, bed and breakfasts and "any other recreational facility that would like to ensure that they have enough condoms for the 2010 Fifa World Cup on their premises".
Nelson Mandela Bay municipality includes Port Elizabeth, Uitenhage and Despatch. The Eastern Cape has one of the highest HIV infection rates in
South Africa, with one in four women at antenatal clinics testing positive. - (Sapa, June 2010)