World Cup Business Opportunities Conference, Emperor's Palace, Kempton
Park
19 June 2007
Thank you very much Programme Director, FIFA president Mr Sepp
Blatter,
Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Mr Paten. The leadership of
the Local Organising Committee (LOC) in South Africa, including our own Deputy
Finance Minister, Jabu Moleketi and CEO Danny Jordaan. Mr Olifant and the other
leaders of the soccer fraternity present here. Ladies and gentlemen, my
favourite people, small business who may be here, Good morning.
I would like to join Mr Blatter in sending to you the excitement that we
feel about these games, about the progress that we are making and about the
prospects that these games represent for us in South Africa. I certainly agree
that if God is on our side and I think he is, I did check, this match between
us and FIFA, this relationship, this marriage was made in heaven. Anybody who
writes otherwise has to come from that place that is opposite of Heaven and can
then go back there.
This indeed is an important economic opportunity for us as South Africa;
it's a great opportunity for social cohesion. It's a great opportunity for
building confidence in our... confidence as well as in our country and as we
walk forward with our work we would like to make sure that we leverage all of
these things. We leverage the economic benefits, we build economic and social
cohesion and we position Africa as the continent that it is; dynamic, growing
with people who are very much confident about the future. We see this as the
single most important opportunity that can also galvanise unity, because soccer
happens to be the sport that is popular throughout the continent. Our young
people as well as our old people are very passionate about the game. And then
both Africa and South Africa being this young continent, this all goes well for
us because the investment that we make today is ensuring that the people play
fair, that they look at games and sports as a constructive intervention in the
lives of our society. It means that for generations to come we have secured
something that is quite special for the future of our countries.
The success that we make out of this event is also very positive for the
rating of our country and that is why for us it is important that everything is
on schedule and everything goes according to plan. We are glad that so far and
thanks to the LOC, to the CEO, that so far we are actually excelling all of the
obligations that we as the government and the undertakings of the LOC, we are
able to deliver on them and Mr Blatter did inform me earlier that he is very
happy not only about the concrete progress that we are making but also even
about the ambiance and the relationship that prevails between and amongst the
team that is responsible for taking this event forward.
We have assembled here, Mr Blatter, some of our Small Medium and Micro
Enterprise (SMMEs), some of the service providers, some of the small as well as
some of the big players. In our economy who have a contribution to make, to
make sure that the economy of this event is shared amongst the people. South
Africa has a growing economy; we have committed ourselves to growing at the
minimum of 6% by 2010. But we think that there's a possibility for us to reach
that level of growth even before 2010 and with many of the things that we're
doing now and as you pointed out, Mr Blatter, the preparations for the games
are contributing to the growth, the construction boom and all of that and say
we think that there's a greater possibility for us to achieve our growth levels
even sooner. But its one thing to achieve the growth levels as calculated Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) we are concerned at looking at the real impact on the
real economy, or changes bringing in the lives of people; are we putting bread
on the table. And this is where this event becomes important. Because in an
event like this bring together real people, not numbers.
We bring together people who as a result of their participation in the game
will create jobs, they will increase the earnings that can be made in their
communities, and in that way some of the people who might never have been
connected to the benefits of the game will be able to benefit. And that is what
we call shared growth. We have been concerned in South Africa that as our
economy grows we must always look at angles, where we can bring in ordinary
people so that the growth that the economy enjoys is actually shared by many
people.
Our government is committed to corporate, with the staff LOC, FIFA, to make
sure that we bring together the participants in a manner that will ensure that
we do not violate the integrity of the agreements that were signed, the
intellectual property, and the other agreements that we have. However I need to
underline that the unclear nature of the rules of the game in intellectual
property can push away small business and players. So we are hoping that
there's going to be a constructive way of looking at this, in a manner that
will ensure that there's a broader participation by ordinary people. It is our
belief that ordinary woman in a cottage industry in Qua Qua can never do
anything to the intellectual property of a giant company that will bring down
that company.
And therefore we have to find a way; we have to find a way of balancing the
interests of those companies who have generously contributed to secure the game
and addressing the real vested problems of the world, which is ensuring that
that the poor people are also brought in and the rules of the game allow for
globalisation to also have a meaning to the ordinary and poor people. We are
also committed to make sure that we provide with you with quality services that
train our people, that everybody who comes to South Africa in 2010, by the time
they leave they want to come back again. Because we would have given them such
quality and good service and we are glad that today issues of hospitably and
tourism will also be raised; we would like to understand and to also share
skills to the extent to which we are able to raise the levels as far as that is
concerned. Indeed, we regard tourism as a very important industry and sector in
South Africa and we would like to make sure that the soccer loving people of
the world come to South Africa and they will see South Africa as their holiday
destination. But not only South Africa, the neighbouring countries and indeed
as they come to South Africa that they'll also make efforts to stop along the
way and to visit other African countries.
We look forward to today's activities and we hope that at least here today
we will go out and popularise the event. We will go out and also make sure that
even alone the hosting cities can see an opportunity for them to participate in
the excitement of building the economy and using the games as a platform for a
greater participation in the South African economy. I thank you.
Issued by: The Presidency
19 June 2007
Source: SAPA
