Marking 1 000 Days to the Kick-Off of the 2010 Football World Cup, ABSA
Stadium, Durban
15 September 2007
* The Province of KwaZulu-Natal is ready and well positioned to host the
2010 Soccer World Cup games.
In 2005, the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government formulated a framework,
which has already been adopted by the Provincial Executive Council (Cabinet)
for the delivery of this major event.
* The Provincial Government has prioritised positioning KwaZulu-Natal as the
leading tourist, sporting and cultural destination on the continent.
* KwaZulu-Natal is proud to have already successfully hosted several
international sporting events such as the A1 Grand Prix. We will continue to
offer a number of international sporting events in the water (the Dusi Canoe
Marathon), on the road (the Comrades), on horseback (the Durban July) and many
others.
* 2010 will be a major catalyst for further enhancing our image and growing
our economy and tourism potential.
* As part of 2010, the benefits accruing to the province include
infrastructure development, facilities upgrades, small, medium and micro
enterprise (SMME) and other enterprise development, which will for generations
be legacies of this spectacle.
* Construction of the new Soccer Stadium in Durban and the new International
Airport at La Mercy is well on track and will be completed on time.
* Plans for the 2010 Soccer World Cup preliminary draw to be held at the
Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre (ICC) in Durban on 25 November 2007 are
also well on track. KwaZulu-Natal is glad to be the host of this all important
preliminary draw which will see international delegates and a projected 300
international journalists visiting our shores to be part of the draw. We take
this platform very seriously as it affords the country as a whole, and more
specifically the province of KwaZulu-Natal, an opportunity to demonstrate the
fact that we are ready to host the world in 2010.
* We want to emphasise that team KwaZulu-Natal is ready to roll out the red
carpet and give all the preliminary draw delegates a truly African and
memorable experience, one which will convince them to come back to our shores
in 2010 and well beyond.
* Because of its history, participation and following, football is essential
for the building of our democracy and lasting peace. We intend to use football,
strategically, to unite the people of the province and create new business.
* 2010 will enhance our capacity to host other major international events
and confirm our position as the continental focal point for major international
sporting events and tourism.
* This is the legacy, we as government and people of KwaZulu-Natal, would
like to see thousands of years after the 2010 Football World Cup kick-off.
* KwaZulu-Natal is indeed on the move.
* The Gross Domestic Product per region (GDP-R) of the province of
KwaZulu-Natal is now the second largest in the country. The GDP-R growth rate
rose over fivefold from one percent in 1999 to 5,3% in 2005. This trend
suggests that the provincial economy has the potential to reach a 10% growth
rate by the year 2014, which is far above the Accelerated and Shared Growth
Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA) target of six percent.
* More than R6 billion will be spent on the construction of the new
international airport and the Dube Trade Port at La Mercy. The R350 million
P700 Corridor from Richards Bay to Ulundi is now under construction, as is the
R300 million on the P577 from Mtubatuba to Hlabisa and Nongoma. These projects
alone, total in excess of R7 billion. On completion, the Dube Trade Port alone
will contribute R12,4 billion to the economy and will create thousands of new
jobs.
* These investments indicate the confidence and commitment that this
government has in developing KwaZulu-Natal.
* The work on improving Durban's port and logistical infrastructure is well
underway. The city has spent R200 million and Transnet, our transport
parastatal, will spend close to R1 billion over the next year in widening the
harbour entrance. Over the next six years the City of Durban and Transnet will
spend over R10 billion and over the next 15 years the figure is likely to be
over R20 billion. This is being done to make sure that the port remains
Africa's and South Africa's most valuable asset for import and export.
* We are also seeking to increase our share of the international tourism
market going forward. KwaZulu-Natal presents a varied package to the domestic
and international tourist in the form of the big five, the whales, our scenic
natural terrain, our beaches and our heritage and culture in a way that no
other destination can offer.
* We believe that towards the Federation International Football Association
(Fifa) World Cup in 2010 and beyond more and more sporting fans will see
KwaZulu-Natal as a destination of choice.
Thank you.
Issued by: Office of the Premier, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
15 September 2007
