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South Africans can justifiably be very proud for hosting a magnificent 2010 FIFA World Cup. The country has earned praises from across the globe for the management of the tournament, and for the hospitality and friendliness of its people.

Even those who did not travel here to watch the matches have expressed admiration for what we have achieved. We have proved the skeptics wrong. More importantly, we have demonstrated what we can do when we work together, in unity, towards a common goal.

There can be no denying that the 2010 FIFA World Cup has brought South Africans together. This has been visible for the last few weeks and months. The South African flag has been on display everywhere. There is a renewed sense of a common nationhood. We have done much to push back the barriers that have long divided us.

All South Africans must be commended for this achievement. So too should they be commended for the support that they showed for our national team, Bafana Bafana. Though they did not advance beyond the first round, we can be proud of the way they played. They showed determination, high spirits and great skill. We must thank them for their hard work and for their dedication to their country.

Even though the final whistle has been blown on the 2010 FIFA World Cup, this is not the end. In fact, it is just the beginning. We have demonstrated to the world and ourselves what we are capable of achieving when we put our minds to a challenge. We should now turn our attention to the next challenge, building a better South Africa for all our people.

We have shown that we can build world-class stadiums, roads and other infrastructure.

We have shown that we can plan, coordinate and manage massive logistical operations.

We have shown that we can work together in a spirit of cooperation.

All of these capabilities will serve us well as we continue to build our nation. There is much that we have learnt from this experience. We have said that one of the main legacies of this World Cup must be the global campaign for education for all. By the time of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, we want to ensure that all children across the world are in school. As South Africa, we must take up that challenge, with the same determination with which we have organised this World Cup.

We have prioritised the improvement of the quality of learning and teaching over the next five years because we know that this stands at the centre of all our efforts to develop our economy, our society and our people. In the Performance Agreements that we have signed with Ministers, we have set specific targets by which we will be able to assess our progress. These are not just targets for individual Ministers or even for government more broadly. These are targets for the whole of society. We should pursue these targets with the same vigour as we chased the deadlines for the completion of stadiums.

We knew that the airports needed to be finished in time for the World Cup. We could not afford to shrug our shoulders, and say: ‘Well, we tried'. We had to get the job done, and we did. We must do the same in education. By the same measure, we should pursue the targets we have set in our efforts to combat HIV and Aids, tuberculosis and other preventable diseases.

South Africans turned out in their hundreds of thousands to watch matches in stadiums and fan parks. Now we must mobilise all South Africans to turn out in their millions for HIV counselling and testing. We must encourage all South Africans to take responsibility for their own health and the health of their families. Let us ensure that over the next 15 months, we can ensure that we reach our goal of having at least 15 million South Africans knowing their status.

The World Cup is certain to have a positive effect on our economy. It is estimated that the event will increase our economic growth by 0.3 to 0.5 percent. We are continuing with the biggest infrastructure building programme in our history. Our tourism industry has been given a massive boost. More and more people are becoming aware of the great economic potential of South Africa and the continent more broadly.

We need to work together to build on this platform. Our economy is emerging from the recession that was brought about by the global economic crisis. But we need to do more to create jobs and opportunities. One way to do this is to develop local industry and business.

We need to harness the passion with which we supported Bafana Bafana to support South African products. Proudly South African's new ‘Buy Local' campaign was launched on Sunday evening as we departed from fan parks and stadiums. Let's keep flying the flag and buy a product with the Proudly South African logo on it this Friday and every Friday. Through this action, let's create jobs for South Africans.

As we bid farewell to our international guests, we can be proud that we gave them an unforgettable experience. But that is not the end of our World Cup experience. By working together in pursuit of our common national goals, we can make the World Cup experience last a lifetime.

The World Cup final has been played, but this is just the beginning of our effort to build a better South Africa and Africa.