Councillor Ntombi Mekgwe, Executive Mayor of Ekurhuleni
Mr Gideon Sam, President of SASCOC
Sharad Rao, Honorary Legal Advisor and Head of Queens Baton Relay Delegation
Programme Director
Members of the media
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentleman
We welcome the opportunity to engage our fellow South Africans in the forthcoming Commonwealth Games by travelling the baton through our communities.
For a country that works hard at appreciating and valuing its nation's diversity, it is of course most fitting that the baton travels though our country and on to the other participating nations.
The Commonwealth Games is another great example that demonstrates the power of sport in unifying diverse cultures and nations globally. We welcome the opportunity to showcase and share our successes with the International representatives of the Commonwealth, representatives from the host country, India as well as representatives from Mauritius, who are handing over the baton to our country today.
We are both honoured and humbled by the presence of our friends from the region who carry with them the rich history and culture of established democracies to support the growth of our fledgling democracy. Over the next few days our visitors will experience our South Africans which may dispel many assumptions and at the same time instill greater confidence in us as a significant global participant.
It is important to recognise that, the Queen’s Baton symbolises the coming together of the participating countries, in a peaceful festival of sports competition. Today’s event and the handing over of the Baton to South Africa, officially includes our country in the global team of the Commonwealth and the relay. I strongly believe that today’s event will raise awareness and excitement in our country about the relay, as well as the Commonwealth games.
The baton, with the South African flag shining bright on it today, represents a creation of an international legacy for future participants and future Baton Relays. I would like to thank all commercial sponsors, as well as all stakeholders, who have contributed to the success of this event which will pave the way for our participation in the prestigious international games.
We wish the city of Delhi all the best for the coming games and we are confident that India will give the world a memorable experience. We are looking forward to meeting you in India in October 2010. But before that, South Africa awaits its friends from around the world who will soon descend on our shores for the best Football event ever, the Fifa 2010 World Cup.
I thank you
