Govt, business to 'build on World Cup'
15 July 2010
South Africa's government and business sector have agreed to convene a special meeting to discuss ways in which the country can build on the momentum of the 2010 Fifa World Cup to help improve South Africans' quality of life.
A small committee had been tasked with setting up a date and all other related details, President Jacob Zuma said after meeting businessmen in Pretoria on Tuesday.
They spent more than two hours in talks on, among other things, how to build on the World Cup momentum.
"We wanted to take advantage of the World Cup period and discuss with business how we can move forward to better the lives of our people," said Zuma, who described the meeting as "absolutely wonderful".
Job creation
He said the government had set aside R800-billion for infrastructure development, which he was confident would provide job opportunities.
He said the rising job losses in the country were a result of the global financial crisis, which was "out of our hands".
Business Unity South Africa (Busa) president Futhi Mtoba said the meeting was critical because the government and business were partners in building a strong economy.
Mtoba said that building the World Cup infrastructure had been the first phase, and that the second phase would be to address rural development. This would involve small and medium enterprises.
Sapa
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