Deputy President of the Republic, Honourable Kgalema Motlanthe,
Ministers and Deputy Ministers,
South African football fraternity,
Our hosts, SABC management and all media,
Fellow South Africans and the world!
Let me start by congratulating Spain on their magnificent victory last night! It marked the end of a very exciting and vibrant tournament.
Ladies and gentlemen,
It feels really good to stand here before you today and proudly say - we did it!
It is an emotional moment for this 16 year old nation which has only recently emerged from the horrors of apartheid.
We have been able to show the world that we have what it takes to compete with the best, united in our diversity.
It truly is an emotional moment for a nation that had doomsayers warning football fans to avoid coming to South Africa.
The world had been told to expect high levels of crime, unfinished stadiums and other infrastructure as well as lack of accommodation.
They came and discovered that we are a winning nation of very humble, hospitable people. They learned too that we are very efficient organisers and planners.
We did it. We did it well, we did it successfully but we did not do it alone. We did it with Africa and with the support of the world.
Today we are so happy to be able to say thank you to everyone who made this glorious African moment possible.
We thank FIFA, under the leadership of President Sepp Blatter, for the confidence shown in our country and people over the past six years.
Our hosting of this historic first FIFA World Cup on African soil vindicates Mr Blatter’s strong conviction that we were capable of delivering a spectacular and successful event.
We thank the Inter-Ministerial Committee on the World Cup chaired by the Deputy President of the Republic.
We congratulate the 2010 FIFA World Cup Local Organising Committee and the entire football fraternity for their sterling work and professionalism which has put this country on the world map.
We thank the thousands of public servants and volunteers who made sure that the experience of our visitors and football fans in general was safe and efficient.
They demonstrated that our service is professional, efficient, innovative and deserving of international respect.
While all public servants played their part exceptionally well, we single out the security establishment for proving to the world that we mean business when it comes to maintaining law and order.
We thank our private sector for working with us to provide the infrastructure and services that made this a world class event.
Fellow South Africans and people of the world,
There are certain things that you cannot buy or create. Key amongst these for us - is the humanity, friendliness and warmth of the South African people. South Africans are the true stars of this tournament.
We particularly commend South Africans for embracing each other, making the tournament a powerful nation building tool.
We were inspired by the explosion of national pride that accompanied this event. Our people put all their energy into promoting this tournament and support for the national squad, Bafana Bafana.
The Football Friday campaign became highly successful. South Africans from all walks of life proudly wore national colours every Friday. It was a meaningful collective experience of a lifetime.
Government is working on a programme to thank South Africans and to harness this spirit of a common nationhood and social cohesion.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The real champions of the tournament have been the visitors and football fans from Africa and all over the world. They displayed amazing levels of energy and commitment.
They filled the stadiums and fan parks to watch all 64 matches, braving the icy cold June and July weather, and brightened up our landscape with their national colours.
This has been the start of a lifelong friendship. We invite all our visitors to return soon to explore South Africa further. This is your home.
Ladies and gentlemen,
FIFA says that football is more than just a game and we agree. The cross-pollination of cultures and practices that we have seen in this tournament will be a lasting legacy of the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup.
The international fans embraced the vuvuzela and the makarapa as accessories for any football match.
To their surprise, South Africans discovered that visiting fans could actually blow the vuvuzelas louder than they could. I am informed that the vuvuzela is now competing with our famous wines as take-home gifts for our visitors.
While the world embraced the vuvuzelas, Africans discovered Paul the Octopus! We were later introduced to Pauline the female octopus. We will not delve into their activities as it opens up wounds for many soccer teams and fans.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We thank all the players, coaches and technical teams behind them. Without them there would have been no tournament.
We were witnesses to the joy and pain, anger and excitement in a tournament that was an emotional rollercoaster. At the end of each match, football and friendship were always the winners. We salute all the 32 teams that participated in this tournament.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Africa for unwavering support.
African Heads of State and Government made time to attend the opening and closing ceremonies and made this a true African World Cup.
We thank the world leaders who also took time to visit our country to support their teams, making this a truly global event.
We appreciate the global support for the Education for all Campaign and our education summit, as a legacy of this World Cup.
We will work with world leaders in every forum in Africa and the world, to promote the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, especially those on education. This we must do to celebrate the legacy of this very first African FIFA Soccer World.
We thank the entertainers from all over the world that showed that indeed culture and music are intertwined.
We reserve our deepest gratitude to our founding President, His Excellency Nelson Mandela, for his leadership and vision – in the years during apartheid and in the first years of our democracy.
He laid the foundation that we are building on today. South Africans have given him the best 92nd birthday ever in the manner in which they hosted this tournament.
We look forward to the birthday celebrations on the 18th of July in Qunu.
Fellow South Africans,
On behalf of the nation let me extend our appreciation to the international media for showing as much interest as they have, not just in the tournament, but in our country in general.
The spotlight on our country will, in the final analysis, leave people around the world with a better understanding of a country that is continuously changing for the better.
They will now be able to dismiss exaggerations and stereotypes as they know South Africa better because of your work.
Ladies and gentlemen,
South Africa has gained a lot from this World Cup. As Government – working with the private sector in South Africa and abroad - we have gained considerable project management expertise.
This ability will enable us to deal with the ongoing priorities of creating jobs, improving education and providing health services.
In preparing for this event, Government did not place itself in a position of having to choose between pressing socio-economic priorities and a successful FIFA World Cup.
The World Cup did not compromise the focus or the funding that we have maintained since 1994 on improving the health, safety, education and economic wellbeing of our people.
Bringing this event to the country compelled us to fast-track certain aspects of the country’s development.
We are sure that the investments we have made will contribute to increased tourism, trade and investment. This will ultimately create the opportunities and bring in the revenue for us to address social challenges.
We are confident we will be able to celebrate many more such milestones in the period ahead.
Ladies and gentlemen, fellow South Africans,
After six years of preparation and more than 96 hours of football, we are looking forward to decades of positive interest among South Africans and people all over the world in the future prospects of this country and Continent.
As we draw the curtain on the 2010 FIFA World Cup, we now turn our focus to the fortunes of the nation’s Springbok Rugby Team in the Tri-Nations Series.
Let me remind South Africans that we are the reigning Tri-Nations and Rugby World Champions. Therefore, do not pack away those rainbow nation flags just yet. National duty still calls.
We call upon South Africans from Soweto to Springbok to join the large number of international visitors who will again be in our country for the home matches of this important series. Our people will surely miss the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and the new friends and the contacts that they have made during this month.
We are sad that it has ended, but we are smiling because it went so well.
Yesterday was the Final. But it was definitely not the end.
It was the beginning of a better future for South Africa and Africa.
I thank you.
