FIFA World Cup Preparations: Input by Department of Sports and Recreation
NCOP Education, Sciences and Creative Industries
11 June 2008
Chairperson: Mr B Tolo (ANC, Mpumalanga)
Meeting Summary
Delays were being experienced at all World Cup stadiums, but all should be ready on time including those allocated for the Confederations Cup in 2009. Main causes of delays were weather and industrial action. There were problems at stadiums which were primarily rugby venues. In all cases the problems had been addressed and action was being taken to achieve the deadlines. A general area of concern was escalating prices of materials and fuel. A team was busy looking for areas where expenses could be trimmed. Some of FIFA’s requirements had still not been clarified.
Transport was a major issue, and the allocation for projects had been increased to R13 billion. Allocations were made to the host cities and national bodies, but the other cities would also receive assistance for projects which involved them.
Information Communications and Technology would also be crucial in sending images of the World Cup to the planet. Task teams were making preparations. The International Broadcasting Centre would be at Nasrec. Eskom was sure that there would be sufficient power for the tournament although generators would be the primary power source for the stadiums.
The Police were heading the safety and security programmes together with other security agencies. Private and community organisations were also part of the process. A successful exercise was held recently.
There would be many opportunities for the small business sector to benefit from the World Cup. A road show would spread the message throughout the country. A major challenge was accommodation, with only half of the FIFA requirement being sourced at present. Many volunteers would be needed and the recruitment process would start shortly. Programmes would be launched to promote South African and African culture, while efforts would be made to learn more about the teams who would be representing their countries.
Members were concerned that several areas were being left out. They were told that training venues would soon be allocated although there were some restrictions. They asked about the ratio of South African volunteers to those from outside the country. There was concern of the recent outbreak of xenophobia and the damage this had done to South Africa’s image. Language training was important. Very few South Africans would have the opportunity to acquire tickets for matches. Some money would be set aside to subsidise ticket prices for South Africans. The presentation on the Mass Participation Programme was postponed due to time constraints.
Meeting report
Ms Xoliswa Sibeko (Director-General: SRSA) said that the Minister had wanted to attend the meeting. SRSA had tried to postpone the meeting to accommodate him as he had to be at a Cabinet meeting. She had brought the respective Chief Directors with her as required by the Committee. They had wanted to show pictures of stadiums rising from the dust to where they were now, but technology did not permit this. The Committee would be given printed copies later.
Mr Dan Moyo (Acting Head, 2010 Unit, SRSA) said that the Deputy President as the most senior government leader on the 2010 Inter-Ministerial Committee had done a tour of inspection of the stadiums. It was emphasised that deadlines must be met. The President had been asked to reissue the declaration of guarantees to cover the Confederations Cup in 2009. This was part of the build-up. FIFA had forgotten to ask for a separate declaration for this event. This was now extended to cover the Confederations Cup, and the President had obliged.
Stadium building and renovation
The first stadium under discussion was Soccer City in Johannesburg. The planned progress as at April 2008 was 38%, of which 36% had actually been achieved. The programme was 15 days behind schedule. The estimated completion date was 30 April 2009 as compared to the FIFA deadline of December 2009. This would be the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies. Delays had been due to weather and rain in particular. There had also been delays due to the need to import some materials. The programme had been reviewed, and ten of the fifteen days had already been made up. The programme should be up to date by the end of June.
Mr Moyo said that in Polokwane the actual progress was 25% compared to the plan of 35%. There was a delay of 57 days in terms of critical path management (CPM) activities. The estimated completion date was 30 June 2009 while the FIFA deadline was December 2009. The delays here were very challenging. There was a flexible agreement with the contractors which would be revised in June.
At Nelspruit the progress stood at 37% compared to a target of 48%. The current delay was 54 days on the CPM. The estimated completion date was 31 May 2009 and the FIFA deadline was December 2009. Things had gone well until the project had been hit by a worker problem. There had been wildcat strikes as the workers demanded a 9% increase. A multidiscipline task team had been sent and had reached an agreement. Work had resumed. The 54 day loss had been addressed. There were intensive discussions and a baseline review had taken place. At the host city (HOC) forum two days previously some recommendations had been made.
Mr Moyo said that the stadium in Cape Town was 29% complete as opposed to a projected 34%. The delay was 20 days on the CPM schedule. The estimated completion date was 14 December 2009 and the FIFA deadline was December 2009. This project had also been affected by strikes, and some 10% of time had been lost. The workers had demanded bonuses, but the issue had been resolved by the same team that had visited Mbombela. The programme had been revised.
He said that the stadium in Durban was 33% complete against a target of 41%. The current delay was 33 days. The completion date was 31 May 2009 while the FIFA deadline was December 2009. The project had also been hit by strikes with workers demanding bonuses to match performance. At one stage they had been ahead of schedule, and government had called for funds - which would only have been needed later - to be made available earlier. The strikes had been a setback. Double shifts had been introduced and the project was still on course.
Mr Moyo revealed that the renovations to the stadium in Bloemfontein were 16% complete compared to a target of 25%. There was a delay of 80 days on the CPM programme. The estimated completion date was 15 September 2008 and the FIFA deadline was December 2008. The 80 days represented a 9% loss in production time. The main problem was the inflexible contract with the rugby authorities. Matches were still being played at the stadium as millions of rands would have been lost if these had to be cancelled or moved to other venues. The city had been left with no option but to agree to this parallel programme. One of the implications was that they were unable to do much work on weekends. He was not too concerned as this was an existing stadium and only upgrades were needed. The complicating factor was that this had been identified as a Confederations Cup venue and thus had a tighter time limit. There had been a rugby test match the previous weekend in Bloemfontein and parts of the stadium had to be cordoned off as they were building sites.
He said that the other venue in Johannesburg was the Ellis Park Stadium. Progress there was 42% against a target of 55%. This amounted to 65 lost days. The estimated completion date was 30 September 2008 and the FIFA deadline was December 2008. The arrangements here were minor. The delay recorded in April was due to a slow tender process. Work was now on course.
Mr Moyo went on to the Royal Bofakeng Stadium in Rustenburg. Progress there was 16% compared to a target of 31%. The delay was 65 days. The estimated completion date was 15 December 2008 and the FIFA deadline was December 2008. The Unit had met with the project team two days previously and the task team had also visited the stadium. Half of the planned work had been lost and the programme had to be revised. From this day the shifts would be increased to make up for lost time.
He said that in Port Elizabeth the progress of the stadium stood at 18% compared to a target of 20%. There was a delay of 54 days on the CPM schedule. The estimated completion date was 31 May 2009 although the FIFA deadline was 31 March 2009. This stadium was earmarked as a Confederations Cup venue but there was a quandary as this was a newly built stadium. The contractors were working hard to make up time. The 64 day delay was due to negotiations. SRSA had pleaded with the Local Organising Committee (LOC) to keep it as a Confederations Cup venue. FIFA had agreed to change the ready date, and this was the only exception.
Mr Moyo said that the Loftus Versveld stadium in Pretoria faced the same challenge as some others as it was also a rugby venue. Work had commenced on 12 May 2008 only. The expected completion date was 31 October 2008 and the FIFA deadline was December 2008. The Unit had met with the mayor to discuss the untenable situation. Work had now started, and tenders for other work had been issued. The target date had been revised to December 2008, and this should be on course. There was only one section which had to be renovated.
He said that an overall challenge was cost escalations. Two big factors were the exchange rate and the cost of fuel. The cost of steel was also a factor. All the roofs had to be imported, and the exchange rate of the Rand to the US Dollar was a problem. To assist the HOCs, a team composed of members of the Department of Public Works (DPW), engineers and quantity surveyors had been tasked to review tenders. They were trying to find areas where frills could be cut out to save costs. The National Treasury (NT) had allocated funds for interim payments. These had been channelled to SRSA and would be released in the next financial year. Ways had to be found to assist with soft loans from the Development Bank of South Africa.
Mr Moyo said that some good work had been done in the provinces. Provincial government was involved in some of the provinces, but not in all of them. The overlay costs were things that were added on to the stadium. Clarification was needed from FIFA on what the requirements were. These costs included the provision of VIP areas and television camera platforms. This was out of local hands, and some of the HOCs were up in arms. They wanted to curb additional costs. He concluded his briefing on this cluster by saying that the situation in Port Elizabeth and Cape Town would be closely monitored.
Transport preparations
Mr Moyo said that this was a major component of the planning. This included the transport of players, the FIFA family and the fans. The budget had been increased from R9.2 billion to R13.6 billion. Work in the HOCs had been reprioritised. The cities needed to have operational plans for major projects, which would include fan parks as well as stadiums. In terms of the Public Transport Infrastructure and Systems (PTIS), there were teams assisting the municipalities.
Mr Moyo said that the revised allocations were as follows: Johannesburg would receive an amount of R2 832 billion, Pretoria R2 069 billion, Durban R1 691 billion, Cape Town R1 030 billion, Port Elizabeth R586 million, Bloemfontein R425 million, Nelspruit R421 million and Rustenburg R324 million. The South African Rail Commuter Corporation would receive an amount of R1 315 billion, the South African Roads Agency Limited R430 million and Cross-Border Road Transport Agency R1 million. An amount of R500 million was allocated for inter-city buses and R414 million for cities which were not scheduled to host matches.
Some allocation was needed for the non-hosting cities as there would be some World Cup related activities in these areas and it was anticipated that there would be a general increase in tourism. A municipality like eKurhuleni also needed some support as it was the location of Johannesburg airport. Civil works were continuing, and there were no red lights on the horizon. A tender had been issued for a thousand buses, which would be redeployed to normal transport services after the World Cup. These would be bought by government. This was only the requirement for the Confederations Cup, and another six hundred buses would be purchased for the World Cup itself.
Information Communications and Technology (ICT) sector
This would be a key area, as the success of the tournament would be determined by the transmission of images to the outside world. This would happen through television, radio and other electronic media. SRSA was working in partnership with the Department of Communication (DoC), which was already working on 2010 related projects. FIFA had given some guidance on the provisions to be made in the stadiums for ICT. A tripartite team composed of representatives of FIFA, the DoC and the LOC, was busy with planning. One question was who would pay for the different services. South Africa should be able to recover some of the costs. The DoC had started the process of delivering ICT systems. R120 million had been set aside for the Nasrec precinct. This was where the International Broadcasting Centre would be located, which would be the nerve centre. He expected that there would be about three thousand international broadcasters.
He said that Eskom and the Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) would handle electricity supplies. Eskom had set up a team with representation at the Managing Director level. They had held meetings with the municipalities on the requirements for stadiums and support systems. Eskom had assessed that the HOCs and support cities would have their needs met during the World Cup. There were no worries for the Confederations Cup. Standby generators would be in place at all stadiums. The tender for the supply of these would close at the end of July. These would in fact be the first line of supply and the stadiums would only tap into the national grid if these failed. A technical team had been sent to gain practical experience at the European Championships currently being held in Switzerland and Austria. This was the only major event prior to the Confederations Cup.
Safety and Security
Mr Moyo said that the safety and security cluster was led by the South African Police Services (SAPS). A joint committee had been formed with all other security organisations. A very successful exercise had been held in Cape Town recently. Tenders had been issued for security equipment. Provinces had held safety and security summits throughout the country. Some of the provinces, particularly the Western Cape and North West, were on schedule with their programmes. Private security companies had been included as well as business operators, community policing forums and other organisations. Platforms had been created to air their views.
Business opportunities
He said that the players in the economic cluster were the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) and the Unit. Assistance was being given to provinces, and a business opportunities road show had been put together. It had started in the Free State and Mbombela, but other visits had been postponed due to technical problems. The Members of the Executive Committee in the provinces required time to make the plans and acquire information about the business opportunities programme. All national structures would play a supporting role. Information had to go down to ground level now.
Mr Moyo said that the small business sector would play a key role. Of all the business associated with the World Cup, 30% would be set aside for procurement from the small business sector. The road show was needed to answer the questions arising from this situation.
Accommodation
FIFA needed 55 000 beds for the tournament, and it would not be easy to meet this target. DEAT was looking for the answers to this problem. So far 5 327 rooms had been sourced outside of hotels and there were 19 974 hotel rooms which would be available. This was only halfway to meeting the target, and the figure already included bed and breakfast (B&B) establishments. One of the challenges was that the FIFA company, MATCH, which took care of accommodation requirements, was negotiating with B&B owners. Contracts and accreditation would be put in place. MATCH required a mark-up of 30%. The B&B establishments were not keen on this idea as they felt that the mark-up would only enrich MATCH. Many felt they would rather not enter into agreements and rather do business as visitors came into the country. The terms of the contracts would have to be handled with care. The challenge of finding accommodation would exist for some time.
Volunteers
Mr Moyo said that the lasting legacy of the tournament was an issue. SRSA was assisting the LOC in identifying 5 000 volunteers for the Confederations Cup. Online registration would be launched from 1 July and would be open to the end of July. Extensive screening and selection would take place. The family backgrounds and possible criminal records of applicants would be probed. The screening process would run until March 2009, and those chosen would then be subject to a rigorous training programme.
He said that 15 000 volunteers would be needed for the World Cup itself. Those chosen for the Confederations Cup would have to re-apply. The process of recruiting the new intake would start in March 2009. It had been agreed to institute a reward system in the form of a stipend. Uniforms would be supplied. A detailed schedule and timelines would be drawn up.
Mr Moyo said that a challenge would be the issue of foreign recruitment in the light of the current wave of xenophobia in the country. It was still an African World Cup, and South Africa would not renege on the promise of giving opportunities to the whole continent. It had been suggested to the Director General that families be encouraged to adopt volunteers from other African countries. The Minister still had to agree on this. This should start from the top, with the Minister and the Chairperson taking volunteers into their homes. South African families would be able to learn from the experiences of their guests. The delegates currently at the European Championships were being hosted by expatriate families and not in hotels.
Cultural programmes
Mr Moyo said that a campaign had been launched on 10 June with the goal of giving children in schools a heart-to-heart understanding of the rest of the world. As the qualifying countries were identified, children would be encouraged to make contact with children in those countries. They could then swap soccer and other stories, and the local children could learn about the teams and the players who would visit the country.
Mr Moyo said that an action programme had been drawn up in the arts and culture cluster. R150 million had been given to the Department of Arts and Culture (DAC), which was working with other African structures. There was a display of African crafts in Vienna at the European Championships. A similar project would be executed during the World Cup. There would be an exhibition at Gallagher Estate where each of the five regions of the African Union would be able to set up displays. There would be a programme of music, debates and conferences. The DAC would organise some major events to mark important dates in the country’s history and to popularise national symbols. The African Union flag would also be displayed and the African anthem would be sung at events.
Discussion
The Chairperson said that it had been an elaborate presentation. He allowed Members one round of questions.
Ms A Qikani (UDM, Eastern Cape) noted the progress of the stadium in Port Elizabeth. She asked what was happening in Umtata and East London.
Ms N Madlala-Magubane (ANC, Gauteng) was concerned about the composition of the clusters. She asked where the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) fell in. There would be issues of immigration. She asked how volunteer applicants from outside South Africa would be screened. This should be done hand-in-hand with the DHA. She was also concerned that volunteers for the Confederations Cup would have to re-apply for the World Cup.
Ms J Masilo (ANC, North West) noted that Manguang had only achieved 16% progress. The catch-up period was a compromise. She said that Members of Parliament at all levels should open their homes to volunteers. Efforts should also be made to learn the languages of the visitors. A concern with volunteers from the rest of Africa was the large number of unemployed South African youth. She asked if a percentage would be allocated for South Africans. She asked what the criteria would be in the provinces and not just the HOCs regarding accommodation and transport challenges.
Ms H Lamoela (DA, Western Cape) asked how the acquisition of 1 600 buses would affect the road transport sector. She wondered what the impact on ordinary citizens would be. She understood that the schools would have a long holiday to cover the period of the tournament. It was concerning that only half the accommodation target could be met at present. She did not want to be pessimistic, but she did see a problem in this regard. Most of the stadiums were surrounded by open ground, and she wondered what the reaction would be if FIFA proposed that tents be erected for visitors in the stadium precinct. She asked if people from rural areas would also be accommodated as volunteers.
Mr M Sulliman (ANC, Northern Cape) said that plans seemed to be on track. Plan A was working, but anything could happen. He asked what would happen if one or two stadiums were incomplete, and if there was a Plan B.
The Chairperson commented on xenophobic tendencies. Government could not pretend that there had not been any damage to the country’s international image. He asked what could be done to rebuild South Africa’s reputation. Electricity was a potential problem. Although the DME had guaranteed that there would be no power outages in the HOCs, he asked why there was no such guarantee in the rest of the country. Volunteers should be trained in basic language skills, for example Portuguese.
Ms Masilo said that local B&B establishment staff were going through a language programme. A course in Chinese had been presented. This was seen as very important in Tshwane.
The Chairperson remarked that the country might be ready for the tournament but he feared the national team might not be. Government should not interfere, but he asked how it could help.
Mr Sulliman said that the capacity of the stadiums was unclear. Only a fraction of South Africans would be able to attend matches. He asked what outside facilities such as big screens were being arranged.
Ms Sibeko replied that there had been a Zone 6 meeting the previous weekend, and the question of xenophobia had been discussed seriously. Recent events had certainly done damage to the country’s image. There had been a meeting the previous week in Potchefstroom, the venue for the Zone 6 games later in the year. Even though the delegates had visited all the facilities, there had been a very tense atmosphere. Fortunately there had been no outbreaks of violence in Potchefstroom. Visiting delegates had been told that government was dealing with the situation. They had also been reassured by activities such as prayer services for peace. The issue had been raised again at the Zone 6 Executive meeting in Lesotho.
Ms Sibeko was excited about the idea of South African families hosting volunteers from outside the borders. This was a way of integrating the country with the rest of Africa. This country was still seen as the Mecca of Africa, and South Africans should not be arrogant. Families would learn. There would be a cultural exchange programme at the Zone 6 games, with all the athletes being housed in the army barracks.
The Director General said that DEAT was working heard. The Tourism, Hospitality and Entertainment Training Authority (THETA) had started with language training. The emphasis was on European languages. She felt that Swahili should also be introduced as it had a connection with the Nguni group of languages.
She said that she had prayed that the Members would not ask about the state of the national team, but this prayer had not been heard. It was a case of so far so good with the preparations. SRSA had created a Science Support Directorate which would address issues such as nutrition and growth.
Ms Sibeko said that young talent had to be identified. When the Minister had addressed the Standing Committee on Public Accounts his words had been twisted in the media to create the impression that he wished to nationalise the team.
She said that the Department’s goal was to create fit children. Experts had been brought in to identify talent in all provinces. There were international exchange programmes. The Italian clubs Juventus and Inter Milan had invited South African players to attend their academies, and there were talks with Brazil and Argentina. SRSA wanted to be selective in accepting offers as South Africa should continue to play its own game.
Ms Sibeko agreed that there would be masses of South Africans who would not be able to afford to attend matches. The South African Broadcasting Corporation would be giving 200 free broadcasting licences. It was still up to SRSA to find the funding to set up public viewing areas to exploit this offer. This would be addressed in the Medium Term Expenditure Framework deliberations. These areas should be comfortable for the fans. She cited heating as an example. Public viewing should not be confined to bars and clubs. SRSA needed to find a smart way to make this happen.
Mr Moyo said there had been some confusion over the allocation of venues. Cities had been put forward as actual venues, training venues and base camps. In 2005 the HOCs had been allocated. Only nine were approved by the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) and the LOC Board. The training venues had not been decided. FIFA had requirements regarding travel time. All the information had now been obtained, including technical specifications from FIFA. The training venues could now be allocated. The HOCs would have to look at how they could be spread around. FIFA had approved 89 hotels, some of which were in Umtata and East London. There were negotiations between SRSA, DAC and the management of Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. They wanted to ensure that no city was left out. An amount had been allocated for the upgrading of the stadiums in Umtata and East London. The issue was still open.
He said that the DHA had not gone into the security details. All structures would be involved, and their primary concern would be border control. The IMC had met on this issue. Screening should not be treated as a by-the-way issue. A person could be screened now, but his circumstances could change. He could be recruited by some foreign power or hostile organisation. This meant that he should be screened again. All agencies such as the SAPS and South African National Defence Force (SANDF) said that they could screen any person anywhere, even if that person had provided a false name. South Africa had agreements with Interpol and other agencies. Some 300 officials had been sent to the European Championships with the intention to study football hooligans and their tactics, and they way in which the authorities dealt with them.
Mr Moyo said that there would be a percentage applied to South African and foreign volunteers. The number had not yet been finalised by FIFA. The majority of volunteers would be local. He added that it would be an expensive undertaking.
He said that the Department of Transport had determined that the bus fleet in the country had to be upgraded. The World Cup was a driving factor. There would be no extra strain on the road system. The present system was challenging. There were many old buses which had to be replaced. The new buses would be environmentally friendly and would make use of alternative fuels.
Mr Moyo said that the problem of temporary accommodation could be passed onto the cities. In Germany temporary hotels had been erected. The organiser would meet with the HOCs to discuss this. Disaster management would be dealt with at a municipal level. The Communications Directorate within the 2010 Unit had been tasked to investigate the recent damage caused to the country’s image. The Government Central Information Service (GCIS) was leading the process.
He said that the energy guarantee applied to a 32 day period from 11 June 2010 to 11 July 2010. There would be no load-shedding in the areas where matches would be played. DEAT had started with language training. Tshwane was part of the programme and the Department of Foreign Affairs was also involved. The help of universities was also being enlisted. FIFA had made it clear that the country had to cater for a minimum of 49 languages.
Mr Moyo said that the capacity of the stadiums was at least 45 000. The biggest was Soccer City with a capacity of 94 000. This was the biggest stadium to host a World Cup final. Only one fan park would be allowed in each HOC. These would be under the control of FIFA. The additional licences would be spread throughout the country. The same services and emergency regulations would apply at the fan parks as at the stadiums. Providing resources for all these venues would be a challenge.
The Chairperson said that time constraints put the Committee in a predicament. He had wanted to probe more into World Cup issues, but time was a problem.
The Committee decided to postpone the presentation on the Mass Participation Programme until the following week.
The Chairperson said that he did not understand the rationale behind the restriction on fan parks in the HOCs. People could go to the stadium but it would be difficult to get tickets. In fact, he understood that one million or fewer tickets would be made available for Africans. He asked what the actual figure would be. He asked if the National Treasury would come to the party to assist with cost escalations.
Ms Qikani asked how establishments could apply to MATCH for accreditation.
The Chairperson asked what the criteria would be. He knew of several people who were building extra rooms or were planning to let their houses during the World Cup period.
Mr Moyo said there was a process for the accreditation of accommodation establishments. The Grading Council had been given R20 million to help small establishments to develop to a point where they could achieve a grading. Owners were able to undergo further training. Soft loans were available to improve facilities. Tourism enterprises could also assist with gradings. Information was available online.
He said that about three million tickets would be available for the World Cup. South Africa would be allocated between 800 000 and 900 000. The others would go to the rest of the world. A process had been set in place by FIFA. Treasury had agreed to put 2% of the VAT rebate due to FIFA towards subsidising the price of tickets for South African citizens. A South African applicant would need to produce his identity document and state his address in order to claim a ticket. This was a MATCH requirement. Tickets could be bought online, at shops and at postal services. The identity requirement was to eliminate the sale of tickets on the black market. Tour operators would also be appointed.
Ms Masilo asked if any tickets would be reserved for Members of the Committee, or if these would only be for the Chairperson.
Mr Moyo replied that the issue had been discussed by the Director General and the Minister. In other countries provision was made for government officials and diplomats.
The Chairperson said that there were elections in the meantime, and a new Committee would be in place by the time the World Cup happened. For 48 million South Africans, there would be fewer than one million tickets. This was not a fair share. The issue would be raised during the NCOP plenary debate on the SRSA budget the next day.
Mr Moyo pointed out that the proportion of tickets for Germans in the 2006 event had been even lower.
The Director General read a statement issued by GCIS on the image of South Africa. It was written in the aftermath of the xenophobic attacks. It said that South Africa’s transition to democracy had been a remarkable example. The attacks were a threat to democracy. African states had been very hospitable to South Africans in exile. The government was resolved to bring the full weight of the law to bear on the criminals responsible. The attacks deserved the strongest condemnation whatever the motive was. For many years there had been no problems. Everything possible was being done to bring the perpetrators of violent crimes to justice. The SANDF was working with the SAPS. More than 1 500 alleged perpetrators had already been arrested.
The statement continued to say that concerns over various issues were being exploited. There was no justification for bigotry. South Africa was a signatory to the Geneva Protocol on Refugees. Basic human rights had to be defended. Providing shelter for refugees was the first step. All communities were required to combat violence. South Africans must work to restore the country’s good name. All organisations had to help in whatever way. Ms Sibeko said she would arrange copies for the Members.
The Chairperson said that it was a good thing that government was making its position known.
Ms Masilo said that the statement was appropriate. In her constituency there were programmes every weekend in which churches and communities were addressed. It was important to apply the Geneva Protocol. Church services were being held for all.
The Chairperson said that it was important for all citizens to engage in reconciliation. He thanked the Department for their presence.
The meeting was adjourned after committee minutes were discussed.
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