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28 October 2008

Programme director,
MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture,
Other MEC's,
Executive of Capricorn District Municipality,
Mayor of Polokwane,
Local Organising Committee representatives,
South African Football Association (SAFA) representatives,
Business people,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen

Thank you very much for the platform afforded to us to participate in this lively conversation about possible opportunities, which the 2010 world soccer spectacle will bring to the continent and the people of our province. Although the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) 2010 event will be the biggest and by far the most spectacular of all the events held, it will nonetheless not be the first of its kind to be held in our country. It should be remembered that South Africa has already hosted bigger and better international sporting events since 1994. Amongst these include the 1995 Rugby World Cup, the 2003 Cricket World Cup, the Women's World Cup of Golf in 2005 and 2006 and the only street race in the inaugural A1 GP World Cup of Motorsport.

Therefore nobody should doubt our collective strength and capabilities when it comes to the hosting of an event of this magnitude. However, we should also bear in mind that of all the events that we have hosted, nothing compares to hosting the football world cup, which is the world's biggest sporting event after the Olympic Games. All continents of the world including Europe, North America, South America and Asia have had the opportunity of hosting the world cup before, only with exception of Africa. This is now Africa's turn.

For four weeks in June 2010, Polokwane and the rest of the nine hosting cities will be hosting the biggest games on earth here on our own shores. This will no doubt put our now historical city of Polokwane and Limpopo on the world map of destinations for the future.

More than any other previous sporting event held in our province and country, the 2010 Football World cup, promises to be a lucrative business proposition, which should be able to keep the till ringing for the bigger part of the duration of the games.

There is not doubt that the event will present a rare and unique opportunity for any business person to reap the rewards that come with us hosting the matches. Any business operator, starting from hawkers, taxi owners to big retailers should be able to position themselves to reap bigger profits after this event has passed.

We must also indicate that already there are many business people who are currently benefiting from various contracts that are related to the hosting of this event. From the very onset, we made it a point that black business people and women benefit from the huge capital budgets on the building and renovation of stadiums and other infrastructural developments. However, we must emphasise the point that, this FIFA World cup is not just about the building of stadiums, but also about the rolling out of development infrastructure. It cannot be disputed that both the construction and the engineering industries have been greatly rejuvenated as a result of the huge demands for contracts as we advance to 2010.

At the same time, we also continue to witness a major overhaul of our public transport and the telecommunication infrastructure, in line with world standards and expectations of this major event. Just last week, we witnessed the opening of a new R49 million terminal building at Polokwane International Airport - an establishment that will become highly critical during the duration of the 2010 games and beyond.

On another front, we continue to see large scale investments in small hotels and bed and breakfast facilities in preparation for this event. From government's side, we have also seen the upscaling of other infrastructural investment projects such as the widening of roads, city beatification initiatives and the stepping up anti-crime measures. All of these initiatives have a potential to stimulate economic growth in the province which should result in job creation and the alleviation of poverty. We continue to hold a view that, more than anything else the 2010 games must succeed in improving the image of our country abroad. This in turn must help us attract much needed Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) going forward.

However, of importance are the legacy projects which must be enjoyed by South Africans and our neighbours, long after the final whistle is blown. Apart from these stadiums, which will surely be used for other activities in the future, it is important to remark that our province in particular, would be left with a legacy of bigger and better airports, including roads and rail networks which will be very useful for our investment drive and infrastructural development. After the final whistle would have been blown, we also can be certain that our hospitality and tourism industries will never be the same.

Beyond the benefits in the economic front, we also want to see the tournament contributing to national pride and reconciliation in our country. For Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the continent, this must present an opportunity for us to dispel negative perceptions about Africa and her people. We must use these games to defeat Afro-pessimism and the wrong idea that Africans are not capable of running their own affairs, without seeking assistance from either Europe or the west. The FIFA tournament will also present an opportunity for us to showcase the best of our diverse cultures to the world. We must start now to line up relevant business packages for this challenge.

One of the things we need to do, consistent with the spirit of these games, is also to maintain a clean and friendlier environment where we live. Greening our townships and communities by planting trees, is one easy step we can take to realise an attractive environment for the world cup visitors and those who will return after the world cup.

Programme director

All in all, the country will benefit immensely from the estimated three million visitors who are expected to show up for this tournament.

The world cup belongs to us! It belongs to every business men and women who wants to contribute towards its success. If we fail to take advantage of this opportunity that is presented to us, we will have nobody to blame but ourselves. Let is start planting the seeds for growth now, so that we can reap what we deserve when the time comes.

This is an opportunity of a lifetime for every business person in Limpopo and we must make the best of it while it lasts.

I thank you.

Issued by: Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism Limpopo Provincial Government
28 October 2008