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Polity
Published: 02 Mar 2010
SA: Motlanthe: Keynote address by Deputy President of South Africa at a gala dinner marking 100 Days to the start of the 2010 FIFA World Cup (01/03/2010)
Date: 01/03/2010
Source: The Presidency
Title: SA: Motlanthe: Keynote address by Deputy President of South Africa at a gala dinner marking 100 Days to the start of the 2010 FIFA World Cup

FIFA President, Mr Joseph Blatter;
FIFA Secretary General, Mr Jerome Valcke;
Cabinet Ministers and Deputy Ministers;
Premier of the KwaZulu-Natal Province, Dr Zweli Mkhize,
Members of the Executive Council (MECs);
The Mayor of Durban, Councillor Obed Mlaba;
Mayors from other Host Cities;
Chairman and Chief Executive of the 2010 Organising Committee;
Members of the Diplomatic Corps;
The African Legends;
Distinguished guests; and
Ladies and gentlemen:
As we mark 100 days to the start of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, we do so with
immense pride. We are proud because, in many respects, we are able to
pronounce ourselves ready to welcome the world three months ahead of
schedule.
From the year 2004 when we were announced as the first African hosts of a
FIFA World Cup, we committed ourselves to put all the necessary
infrastructure in place and on time to ensure a successful and memorable
tournament.
Tonight, as we gather here to mark 100 days to the start of the event, we do
so after having delivered on the bulk of the required infrastructure. No
football fan will sit on wet cement come June!
When the teams and the fans arrive, we will be comfortably ready in all
areas of preparation.
We have gathered here to begin a countdown to the greatest football
tournament on earth - the 2010 FIFA World CupTM. On behalf of the people of
the Republic of South Africa, I wish to extend our gratitude to all the men
and women who have worked on World Cup projects and those who are still
working on the last phase of our preparations.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We have always insisted that we will put together the requisite
infrastructure in accordance with agreed deadlines - and we have done so.
Despite the magnitude of the work, we said we will pull through - and we
have pulled through. South African workers have toiled through day and
night, on the roads, in the stadiums, at the airports, to help us keep our
word to FIFA - and we have done exactly as we said we would do.
We said that the World Cup will help us expedite infrastructure development
and economic growth. Even in the midst of a global economic recession, we
continued to improve our infrastructure and protect jobs, particularly in
the construction industry.
During the months of June and July, the world will be exposed to our diverse
and unique arts and culture activities such as music, dance, theatre, films
and even African cuisine. I assure you that South Africans will go an extra
mile to create a memorable cultural experience for the fans and visitors.
Ladies and gentlemen,
With the FIFA World Cup coming to Africa for the first time, one can say,
without any fear of contradiction, that football is coming back home. For
many years African football stars have lightened up the world of football in
major competitions around the world, contributing to the development and
popularity of the sport.
For the first time in history, these stars will have a chance to shine at
home. We cannot wait to welcome them in June, and I know that the broader
South African population is waiting with great anticipation to celebrate the
first World Cup on African soil.
South Africans will come out, united in their diversity, to make the 2010
FIFA World Cup a memorable experience for all those international guests who
will be coming here and for the billions who will be watching on television.
Apart from South Africa as the hosts, the other African teams participating
in this World Cup are Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Nigeria.
When combined, we call these national teams the "African Six Pack".
Distinguished guests,
I would like, at this point, to acknowledge all the representatives here for
member teams of the African Six Pack.
We are using the occasion of the 100-day countdown to launch the African Six
Pack tonight for one main reason: to emphasise the point that these are the
teams that Africans will be pinning their hopes on. These teams will be
playing at home, in front of a predominantly African home crowd, and they
are not going to have this privilege anytime in the near future.
Similarly, as for the current crop of players, they may never again play a
world cup game in front of an African home crowd. So, when we say that
‘Africa's Time Has Come', we also mean that we must use our home- ground
advantage well and advance through the stages - and perhaps even have one of
the African Six Pack teams play in the finals.
It is not impossible, especially given the talent we have!
Ladies and gentlemen,
We have always said that this is not a South African World Cup. This is an
African World Cup. I am delighted that for the first time ever there will be
six African teams in South Africa 2010.
Programme Director,
It has not always been easy, but I would like to commend my compatriots and
brethrens for working together like never before to ensure that we did not
disappoint. We would never have gotten to this point if it were not for the
efforts of millions of South Africans. We would never have gotten to this
point if we had not all come together - as government, business, labour and
sport sectors - to make this happen.
I want to thank all South Africans for making this possible: the
construction workers, the ambassadors, the engineers, the sports
administrators, the *Bafana Bafana *supporters because without you none of
this would have been possible.
We have 100 days left to go. It is time for South Africans to be proud of
what they have achieved. It is time for South Africans to get ready to
celebrate this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
I call on all South Africans to sing their national anthem and to fly the
flag with pride. We have already achieved so much and have many reasons to
celebrate.
With the support of all our partners, local and international, we have
arrived where we are today. We now need to get behind our national
team, *Bafana
Bafana, *who I am sure will make us proud.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Throughout the last 16 years of our democracy, the World Cup has been an
important rallying point and has served as a common goal for us to all work
towards. 11 June 2010 has given us a firm deadline, a deadline for us to
achieve so many of the plans we have for our young country - to ensure that
we host a successful tournament, but more importantly to ensure that the
quality of life for the vast majority of our people is improved.
Finally, I am confident that South Africa and Africa in general, will play
host to a great 2010 FIFA World Cup.