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Date : 27/08/2004
Source: Mpumalanga Provincial Government
Title: T Makwetla: Launch of Mvelaphanda Golden League


REMARKS BY MPUMALANGA PREMIER, THABO MAKWETLA, AT THE LAUNCH OF THE MVELAPHANDA GOLDEN LEAGUE, 27 AUGUST 2004

Programme Director
Honourable MEC
Mayor and Councillors
Representatives of the South African Football Association (SAFA) and the Premier Soccer League (PSL)
Representatives of Mvelaphanda and other sponsors
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen

I am excited and honoured to be with you on the occasion of the launch of the Mvelaphanda Golden League.

Let me take this opportunity to again welcome all our guests, particularly the representatives of Mvelaphanda, clubs, sponsors, the leagues, and the governing structures of football in our country.

Welcome to Nelspruit. Welcome to the province of Mpumalanga.

I wish to thank Mr. Trevor Phillips the CEO of the PSL, and all the other speakers before me, for their excellent inputs.

I wish to say, "Halala" to the PSL, SAFA, and MVELAPHANDA, for a timely and most welcome development that is reflected in this launch of the Mvelaphanda Golden League.

I am sure that you will all agree that this is a step in the right direction. It is a step that will take football in our country to a higher level.

Indeed we are living in truly exciting times for sport and the country as a whole.

As a country, we continue to celebrate a decade of the dawn of our new democracy. Sport in general, and football in particular, is playing an important role in our efforts to build a united, inclusive and caring society. It contributes in many ways to the nurturing of our young democracy.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup is another reason we are living in exciting times. The world's football community, through FIFA, has expressed confidence and belief in us by awarding our country the honour to be the first African country to host the FIFA World Cup.

We are still to recover from the enormous joy and jubilation across our country, and the region, which followed FIFA's announcement on 14 May.

These are exciting times when football structures in the country begin to lay the foundation for better institutions to run soccer in this country and to pay attention to the development of the game at the grassroots level.

The Mvelaphanda Golden League is truly a major boost to the sport at the provincial and local level. We hope that in partnership with local government, and ourselves as a provincial government, we will see improvements in infrastructure and the general level of the game in the province.

Nelspruit is privileged to be one of the host cities of 2010 World Cup, and I am sure that through such partnerships we will achieve not only its readiness to be a successful host city but we will also ensure that we maximize the socio-economic benefits that are likely to emerge.

These are exciting times when we see the potential for black economic empowerment (BEE) to touch the lives our people in such a positive manner.

We welcome and commend the decisions by previously disadvantaged entrepreneurs to support sport and football in particular. We commend the Patrice Motsepe's, Tokyo Sexwale's, and others who are positively responding to the challenge of ending football's reputation as a "Cinderella" sport in this country.

The launch of the Mvelaphanda league is taking place at a time when we see our country's competitive spirit rejuvenated once again.

Bafana Bafana have shown that they are back by beating the reigning African champions, Tunisia, in their own country. Amabokoboko have also done us proud, rising from the tragedy of "Kamp staaldraad" and a poor World Cup to lift their first Tri-Nations Cup since 1998.

At the Olympics, Team SA is gallantly defying all odds to trounce traditional powerhouses in events such as swimming.

It is on this note of rejuvenation that I wish to congratulate SAFA, the PSL and Mvelaphanda.

Sport has an important role to play in building a healthy, prosperous, and united society. Your partnership will give hope to many youngsters, parents, clubs and communities across the country.

As the Mpumalanga province we are proud and honoured to be associated with the launch of the Mvelaphanda Golden League.

(To Dangerous Darkies, our only representative in the Golden League, I wish to point out that there are no longer any underdogs in football. Learn from the examples of Greece in the recent European Championship.

Learn also from how a team from conflict-ridden Iraq got to the semi-finals of the Olympics football competition, so that when we meet again we will celebrate your efforts to bring the Championship to our province).

I thank you.

Issued by: Office of the Premier, Mpumalanga Provincial Government
27 August 2004
Source: Mpumalanga Provincial Government (http://www.mpumalanga.gov.za)

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