Speech by Premier of KwaZulu-Natal Mr Sibusiso Ndebele during the second 2010 Strategic Indaba held at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre

On 25 November 2007 the eyes of the entire world will be fixed on Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, eager to witness the 2010 Fifa World Cup preliminary draw. Representatives of 204 of the 208 members of Fifa will be here in what will be the first ever official 2010 Fifa event and the first to be held in Africa. Only four members of Fifa, the Philippines, Bhutan, Brunei and Laos, are not entering the qualifying rounds for 2010!

Let us put this event in its proper perspective. This is the largest event of its kind in the history of Fifa. For instance, in the inaugural World Cup in 1930, 13 nations battled for the trophy. In 1998 the Fifa World Cup in France attracted 172 countries for the Qualifying Rounds. The 2002 World Cup in Korea drew 195 countries in the qualifying rounds and there were 197 countries which entered the Qualifiers for Germany 2006.

So, a record 204 out of 208 Fifa member countries are in the qualifying rounds for 2010! We are dealing here with the largest ever event held in the history of FIFA and it is being staged in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. It is unlikely that anyone sitting in this room will in their lifetime ever see this event again in Africa after 2010, let alone in South Africa. After 2010 in South Africa, it will be Brazil in 2014. Thereafter as Fifa announced recently, the rotation system comes to an end. From 2018 all nations of the world will be allowed to bid for the right to host the competition.

As a country it is rare circumstance and our particular history which have combined to give us the right and responsibility to host the 2010 World Cup. We have attained democracy and our economic development and stability have contributed in no small measure to Fifa deciding to bring the tournament here. As a province we have attained peace and stability this has combined with our natural scenic beauty, developed infrastructure and facilities among others to bring us the right to host the preliminary draw in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.

We find ourselves in this position today because we have the aptitude we have the attitude and the altitude to host nations of the world. We have hosted the world during the World Conference Against Racism, Commonwealth Heads of State and Government Conference, World Aids Conference, the World Economic Forum, the launch of the African Union (AU), the World Conference of Rural Women, the Tourism Indaba to name a few.

What separates the above events from this 2010 preliminary draw is that it is an event which grabs the attention of all levels of society in a way that has never happened before. Every single family, every person has an interest in what opponent his country or a country they support will draw in the 2010 Fifa World Cup. In addition to our own country, we also want to see who will draw Brazil, England, Japan or Nigeria. It is the same in the rest of the world.

In year 2010 some 32 countries will be represented. In Durban, KwaZulu-Natal all 204 countries in the Qualifying Rounds will be represented! We must note again this is the largest number of entries in the history of Fifa. No province will ever get this opportunity to have so many potential finalists represented in one gathering. We are therefore presented with a rare opportunity as municipalities to sell our province to these countries. We will have all the time in the world to convince them that to the north, south and midlands we also have facilities, the culture and climate for all countries. What did we win?

We have won the right and responsibility to host the World Cup in 2010
* this privilege is on behalf of the people of Africa
* this privilege is on behalf of the people
* this right is on behalf of the people of KwaZulu-Natal

Road to finals

This preliminary draw provides an opportunity to cement in the minds of all that the world to the finals passes through Durban, KwaZulu-Natal two times! First the road to the 2010 Fifa Word Cup finals passes through Durban, KwaZulu-Natal via the preliminary draw. This is the unedited version. Secondly the road to the finals of the 2010 World Cup passes through Durban, KwaZulu-Natal through the one of the semi-finals which will be held here. This if you like is the edited version. The road to the finals really does go through Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.

This is an opportunity not afforded any other province in South Africa before. It is up to us to convince the coaches of these countries that they need to use KwaZulu-Natal as a base station. If countries such as Japan, Ghana, England, and Italy choose to be based in any one of our municipalities, we are sure to attract thousands of their supporters to the province. In hosting the preliminary draw we are therefore given a huge head start, ahead of other cities and provinces in the country. We are being given a chance to market our province in what is an opportunity we cannot afford to miss.

Role of municipalities

We call on all our municipalities to be ready for 2010. Not all our visitors will necessarily go to the stadiums to watch soccer. Some will watch soccer from the comforts of their hotel, bed and breakfast or guesthouse. Others will watch the games from our fan or festival parks around the province. Indeed many people will come to KwaZulu-Natal in order to see what we have to offer and only watch a particular game on television as part of their particular world cup experience. This is an opportunity that municipalities must grab.

Every corner of our province is part of a municipality. This means that 2010 therefore presents all of us with these opportunities. The sport and soccer loving people of all the competing countries including the 204 nations who entered the qualifying rounds, are all potential visitors to the province. We will rise and fall on the basis of how well we are able to design our strategies to make the province a place of choice for those who will be coming to the world cup. Indeed if we do our job well, we will be able to extend the benefits beyond the duration of the World Cup itself.

We have said that we have everything that many countries do not have the mountains and valleys, the rivers, gorges and the sea, the Big Five, the culture and history. Our cities will become the immediate beneficiaries of the World Cup. Our challenge is however to ensure that the rural sector of our economy does benefit significantly from this event. Municipalities, traditional leadership, civil society and non-governmental organisations will be crucial in spreading the benefits to the entirety of our province.

Fortunately we have one of the most recognisable brands in the world which we just need to build on. It is a fact that anywhere in the world brands such as Mercedes Benz, Coca Cola and Pepsi are among the recognisable. Not far from that is the Zulu brand. Municipalities will have to define the Zulu brand and sell it to our visitors to the preliminary draw. We will define it through the courteous and royal treatment of our guests at the airport when they arrive and make sure they do not want to go back to the airport when it is time to leave. The totality of their experience must be such that they all want to come back to our province in the time leading to 2010 and beyond.

Opportunities presented by 2010

Economic opportunities:

* infrastructure development
* growth in tourism
* poverty alleviation
* job creation

Broader strategic opportunities:
* nation building
* social cohesion
* cementing soccer as number one sport in the country
* growing soccer as a business
* poverty eradication

Beyond the soccer pitch

Ladies and gentlemen the Fifa World Cup in 2010 will not be about 90 minutes on the field for the spectators inside the stadium or the billions around the world watching on television. In our view 2010 provides us the greatest catalyst for our own economic development programmes. The event will change the way in which we look at sport in general and soccer in particular. Soccer must become well run business not only at professional level but also in the lower divisions. Soccer must unite the province and help build a non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous KwaZulu-Natal.

We must use this event to refocus our energies towards the building of national unity and the building of one nation which does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender or class. Like the Germans of a previously divided country, we must emerge from 2010 united as a country bent on creating a better place for all our people.

Remaining behind will be the billions of rand in infrastructure development and facilities upgrades, small business development and enterprise development. In the long term South Africa's image internationally will be so enhanced that millions of visitors will keep coming years after the final. The 2010 Fifa World Cup gives us one of those rare opportunities to increase the size and activity of our economy but also to unite our people around a common goal.

Lasting legacy in KwaZulu-Natal

As a province we must achieve the following simple goals:

* host a successful 2010 Fifa World Cup
* confirm and enhance our reputation as a leading tourist destination and cultural melting pot
* provide an enabling environment which leaves a lasting legacy

We must do this because we seek to attain the following goals:

* achieving an eight growth in our economy over the next three to five years
* halving poverty and unemployment by 2014
* dealing with HIV and AIDS, teenage pregnancies and crime- these potentially can undermine the gains we make around 2010.

Conclusion

In closing, let us clearly identify and spell out the opportunities of the World Cup for our people. These include translation services, event management, advertising and media, entertainment, security services, photographic services, office space rental, retail, accommodation and medical services. They are also in stadium-seating, construction, Information Communications Technology, transport, accommodation and many other areas.

Hosting an event such as the Fifa World Cup not only brings with it the ability to host the nations of the world. The eyes of the world will be on our ability to do many other things during this time. We would like again to express our own sincere appreciation to Fifa for granting such a young nation the honour to host such an event. We would like to thank the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for extending this privilege to Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. We accept and understand our responsibility and we are equal to the task.

This is our time. This is our time Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. In KwaZulu-Natal we have the aptitude. In KwaZulu-Natal we have the altitude. In KwaZulu-Natal we have the attitude. Let us work together in unison towards one goal.

Let us seize the opportunity!

Issued by: Office of the Premier, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
7 November 2007