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Ambassadors assured of readiness for 2010

Article Published: Monday 16 July 2007

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Pretoria - Heads of Mission to South Africa, namely Ambassadors and High Commissioners, have been assured of the country's readiness regarding preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa.

"Your Excellencies, as you are aware, we are well on track with regards to our preparations for 2010 as evidence by regular inspection visits by FIFA and the positive reports that have come out of these visits," Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Minister Sue van der Merwe told the emissaries in the capital, Monday.

The Heads of Mission were being briefed on the outcome and decisions made at the African Union Heads of State and Government Summit in Accra, Ghana earlier this month.

"We are encouraged by the decision of the AU to encourage Member States to implement activities programmed to lead up to 2010 and to popularise the International Year of Football and the FIFA World Cup Legacy Programme," said Ms Van der Merwe.

Speaking from the periphery of the AU Summit in the Ghanaian capital, ordinary Ghanaians, delegates to summit and members of the local media conveyed their support to South Africa.

Ghana's Energy Minister Joseph Kofi Adda wished South Africa well for the soccer spectacular set to take place in less than three years time.

"South Africa can do it and Africa will be the greater for it," Minister Adda said on the steps of the State House, Ghana's Parliament.

He also enquired about South Africa's energy situation with Eskom and advised that creative solutions would have to be sought to meet the expected spikes in demand, linked to the games.

"We in Africa know that South Africa will host the best World Cup ever," Thomas Menseh told BuaNews. He is a producer for one of the local satellite channels, MetroTV News, and has visited South Africa himself several times.

"This is the first time an event like this takes place in Africa so it will not only benefit South Africa. If South Africa can sell the World Cup, then Nigeria can sell it, Ghana can sell it. The whole continent will be seen as an excellent place to invest and host major world events as we have been doing over the years."

Aminah Mohamad, an Ivorian trader who sells fabrics and West African clothing in Osu, Accra told BuaNews that soccer is one of the unifying elements amongst Africans.

"When we come together with soccer, Africans speak the same language, no matter if at home they speak Ga, French, Hausa, Swahili or English," said Ms Mohamad.

"When South Africa hosts the World Cup, it will bring Africans together and show the world that our continent is not about wars and diseases. We have many good things to bring the world."

World Cup fixtures will be played in ten stadia across the country, of which half are being renovated to comply with FIFA's requirements and the other half to be built from scratch.

Construction has started on all the five arenas to be newly built.

Renovations to four of the stadiums set to host 2010 fixtures would be complete by December 2008.

These stadiums are Vodacom Park in Mangaung, Royal Bafokeng in Rustenburg, Loftus stadium in Pretoria and Ellis Park in Johannesburg.

Those who will be completed by October 2009 are Mbombela in Nelspruit, Peter Mokaba (Polokwane), Nelson Mandela Bay, Green Point (Cape Town) Moses Mabhida (Durban) and the Soccer City in Johannesburg.
 
- Lavinia Mahlangu BuaNews




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