SA govt committed to 2010: Mbeki
Clive Ndou
25 October 2006South African President Thabo Mbeki has reiterated the government's commitment to a successful 2010 Fifa World Cup that leaves behind a lasting legacy for the entire African continent.
Addressing Fifa delegates at the Fifa World Cup South Africa Kick-Off Workshop in Cape Town on Tuesday, Mbeki said it was indeed "kick-off" time for the real hard work of making the World Cup the most successful tournament of them all.
"The high level of government participation in the 2010 World Cup Kick-off Workshop reflects not only the seriousness of the tasks that lie ahead of us, but also our government's passion and unequivocal commitment to make the 2010 World Cup an eminently successful tournament," he said.
The two-day workshop, hosted by Fifa, brought together 2010 host cities, the government and Fifa officials, and gave the role-players an opportunity to understand what their role would be in the run-up to and hosting of the tournament.
Fifa executive member Amos Adamu, local organising committee chairperson Irvin Khoza and CEO Danny Jordaan were among those in attendance.
President Mbeki opened the workshop by assuring the Fifa delegation that all Fifa specifications and the expectations of soccer fans across the world would be met.
The South African government has announced billions of rands of investment in infrastructure development in preparation for 2010. Last week, Transport Minister Jeff Radebe announced that his department was investing R3.8-billion to bolster transport infrastructure for the event.
Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) has so far allocated R5.2-billion for infrastructure development at the OR Tambo (Johannesburg), Cape Town and Durban international airports.
Source: BuaNews
