Hansard: DEBATE ON SUCCESSFUL HOSTING OF THE 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP
House: Joint (NA + NCOP)
Date of Meeting: 17 Aug 2010
Summary
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Minutes
WEDNESDAY, 18 AUGUST 2010
PROCEEDINGS AT JOINT SITTING
___________
Members of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces assembled in the Chamber of the National Assembly at 14:00.
The Speaker of the National Assembly took the Chair and requested members to observe a moment of silence for prayers or meditation.
ANNOUNCEMENT
START OF DAY
MR G P LEKOTA
(Announcement)
The Speaker announced that Mr M G P Lekota had earlier in the day been sworn in as a member of the National Assembly in the Speaker's Office.
ANNOUNCEMENT
ANNOUNCEMENT
JOINT SITTING
(Announcement)
The Speaker further announced that the President had called the Joint Sitting of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces in terms of section 84(2)(d) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, read with Joint Rule 7(1)(b), in order todebate the successful hosting of the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
DEBATE ON SUCCESSFUL HOSTING OF THE 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP
ANNOUNCEMENT
DEBATE ON SUCCESSFUL HOSTING OF THE 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP
The [gs1] PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC: Hon Speaker, hon Chairperson of the NCOP, Deputy President of the Republic, Kgalema Motlanthe, hon Deputy Speaker, hon Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP, Ministers and premiers, Deputy Ministers, hon members, MECs and mayors of host cities, South African Football Association, Safa, president, Mr Kirsten Nematandani, chairperson of the 2010 Local Organising Committee, LOC, Dr Irvin Khoza, and members of the committee, the entire soccer fraternity, His Grace Archbishop Desmond Tutu, fellow South Africans, it is slightly more than a month since the final whistle that ended the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup tournament.
We gather today to celebrate this outstanding African success story. There could not have been a better platform to thank South Africans for this outstanding achievement than in Parliament before the elected representatives of our people.
Six years ago, when we won the rights to host the tournament, the task seemed too huge. Many wondered if an African country could make a success of the biggest sporting event in the world. Indeed, others even suggested that there should be a Plan B as they could not believe we were capable of pulling off such a massive project. Working together as South Africans, we have proved that we are a nation of winners. It is only fitting, hon Speaker, that we spend time today discussing this phenomenal and historical achievement.
According to Fifa, more than 3 million spectators attended the 64 matches of the tournament. This was the third highest aggregate attendance behind the 1994 Fifa World Cup in the United States, US, and the 2006 Fifa World Cup in Germany. [Applause.] This figure includes the millions of people who watched World Cup games at Fan Fests, fan parks and public viewing areas, PVAs, across the country and in various cities around the world. It has also been acknowledged that our fan parks were so huge that they resembled mini-stadiums, something which did not happen in other host countries. [Applause.] Government recorded that more than 1,4 million foreigners visited the country during the tournament. The systems which we had put in place to control the movement of people worked seamlessly and efficiently.
But our people, black and white, are the true stars of the tournament. The proud display of our rainbow nation flags did not only demonstrate that we have the brightest and most beautiful flag in the world, but it also demonstrated amazing patriotism. [Applause.] The World Cup tournament revealed that South Africans are capable of working together in unity. They also proved that they are proud to be South Africans. When our people were asked to wear Bafana Bafana jerseys on Fridays to promote the team and the tournament, they responded in an overwhelming manner.
Nothing stood out like the opening match on 11 June 2010. The colourful South Africans beautified the roads leading to Soccer City. The rainbow flag flew all over the country - a proud nation in a celebratory fever! We never thought it possible before the World Cup that South Africans could demonstrate their love for this country and one another in that manner. It certainly gave us hope for the future. Indeed, Fifa remarked that South Africans were the best hosts ever, given the manner in which they actively participated in the tournament. [Applause.]
We were moved by how parents took small children to soccer matches, even in the evenings; braving cold weather to support Bafana Bafana and, later, other teams. This proved that our people had faith in our security systems, faith in the logistical arrangements, and faith in the ability of their country to host the event successfully. It is estimated that half a billion viewers around the world watched the opening ceremony on 11 June 2010. [Applause.] That was the most powerful marketing opportunity for this young democracy. It was worth every penny spent on the tournament.
South Africans truly defied stereotypes during this tournament. We saw young white South Africans, proudly wearing their national colours, walking around singing and blowing their vuvuzelas outside Soccer City. This is the Soccer City near Soweto that could in the past have been said to be a no-go zone due to the compartmentalisation of our residential areas, and even sports, as a legacy of apartheid. And then the Blue Bulls went to Soweto, crushing even more stereotypes. [Applause.]The support to the national team, Bafana Bafana, until it bowed out fighting in Bloemfontein after teaching France the basics of football, is a powerful lesson in national solidarity. [Applause.]
We are making great progress in achieving social cohesion. We must celebrate and build on this mood and spirit. As political representatives, we must not fail our people. We all recall that special moment when former President, Nelson Mandela, triumphantly moved the South African masses and the world at Soccer City at the conclusion of the tournament on the 11 of July. He was saluting the masses for a job well done. Our performance had been outstanding. We made him and all his peers, living and departed, very proud. [Applause.]
With regard to the economic impact, South Africa has demonstrated that it has the infrastructure and the capability to warrant serious investment considerations. It is still too early for a precise indication of the benefits the 2010 World Cup will have on our economy. However, it is clear that a healthy return on investment is expected on the R33 billion spent on transport infrastructure, telecommunications and stadiums. It is estimated that the tournament will add 0,4% to the country's real gross domestic product.
Another important factor is that the successful hosting of the event, in the midst of a global economic downturn, clearly proves the economic prowess of the country. We have earned the reputation of a country that can deliver on its undertakings. The World Cup has opened the country to further investment, growth in trade and economic opportunities. It has also opened up opportunities to improve the way we deliver services. We reiterate that we view the tournament not as an end in itself, but as a catalyst for development whose benefits will be felt long after the final whistle.
The 2010 World Cup Inter-Ministerial Committee is currently collating all reports on the tournament. This will enable us to be comprehensive in utilising the lessons from this tournament in our work as we move forward. However, while waiting for that report, we already have some very good examples of excellence to build on. We already know that careful planning yielded good results on safety and security. The diligent work that the police did was supported by the application of swift justice by World Cup-related courts. The Department of Justice is currently investigating whether the model of the World Cup courts can be incorporated into the country's criminal justice system.
Public transport formed the backbone of our transport plans for the 2010 Fifa World Cup, and is one of the greatest successes of the tournament. Our integrated transport infrastructure and networks will improve the lives of South Africans for many years to come. The World Cup legacy will ensure that by 2020 more than 85% of any city's population will live within a kilometre or closer to an integrated rapid public transport network feeder or corridor.
The impact on the country's tourism sector cannot be overestimated.
Tourism establishments in areas that were not usually frequented by tourists were patronised by visitors who may recommend these to their families and friends back home. Small establishments, which would otherwise never have had the need to be graded, are now graded and are registered with the Tourism Council.
We stated before that we want education to be a lasting legacy of the World Cup. On 11 July we hosted the Heads of State Education Summit in support of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and the 1Goal: Education for All initiative. This included a renewed commitment to the millennium development goal of ensuring that all boys and girls complete primary schooling by 2015, and that girls enjoy the same access to education as boys by 2015. The democratic government has made huge strides in the provision of education to all our children. We currently have nearly universal enrolment in primary school and around 86% enrolment in high school. This compares favourably with international standards.
However, according to the General Household Survey conducted by Statistics South Africa, about 200 000 children in the seven to 15 years age group are not attending school. Statistics South Africa found that youth on farms appear to be significantly more likely to be out of school than children living in traditional, formal or informal settlements. Anecdotal evidence suggests that this is a problem particularly affecting coloured farming communities in the Western Cape. This is one of the vulnerable groups that we have to target in our universal access campaign.
We are attending to the factors that contribute to the drop-out rate around the country. These include lack of school fees, general poverty, lack of transport, teenage pregnancy, and inadequate schools servicing children with disabilities. We are working to expand access to secondary education and to increase our enrolment rate to 95% by 2014. We know that the challenge is not simply one of ensuring that young people have access to high schools, but also one of ensuring that they complete their National Senior Certificate. I urge all Members of Parliament to help us identify the affected children in their constituencies. Together we must ensure that every child is in school next year as part of the legacy of the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup. [Applause.]
Other than education, there is a lot of other work for us to do, building on the successes and lessons of this tournament. There are houses to build, and communities to strengthen. There are hospitals to improve. Most of all, we have to make sure that the economy grows strongly to support job creation. We are incorporating the World Cup project management lessons into our new outcomes-based approach to governance. We cannot let these lessons go to waste; they must help us improve service delivery. These will be outlined once the Inter-Ministerial Committee presents its report.
Sport remains one of the greatest nation-builders. We wish to reiterate government's commitment to the development of football. We wish Safa the best of luck in its efforts to develop the game and inspire Bafana Bafana to greater heights. [Applause.] So you will agree with me that very few teams are going to play around with Bafana Bafana. They are very consistent, very organised, very hungry for goals, not shy, very clear. And we all have a responsibility to support Safa in its mammoth task.
While celebrating, let us remember that these achievements were not a miracle and did not happen by accident. Without the advent of democracy in 1994, after a relentless nonracial struggle, there would have been no World Cup event on South African soil. [Applause.] Today we celebrate the remarkable achievements of the South African people. It was not easy, but as South Africans we decided that the time had come to put the painful past behind us in 1994.
We must also acknowledge the contribution of the stalwarts who laid the foundation for the peaceful and nonracial society we live in today. These are leaders such as our stalwart, Comrade Walter Sisulu, uXhamela. We recall his profound statement in court during the Defiance Campaign, before being sentenced for a pass offence on 21 July 1952. He said:
As long as I enjoy the confidence of my people, and as long as there is a spark of life and energy in me, I shall fight with courage and determination for the abolition of discriminatory laws and for the freedom of all South Africans, irrespective of colour or creed.
[Applause.] Through Xhamela, we thank all the selfless national heroes and heroines from the 1912 generation to that of former President Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, Lillian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Amina Cachalia, Robert Sobukwe, Helen Suzman, Govan Mbeki and beyond. [Applause.] They sacrificed their comfort so that we could live in a united, nonracial, democratic and successful South Africa.
We also celebrate the sterling work of all political parties in building the South Africa we live in today. It has not been easy over the years to undo the legacy of the past and build a new society. But we have tried our best, and are succeeding. Working together we have built a modern, stable and successful democracy. This made it easy for Molefi Oliphant, Irvin Khoza, Danny Jordaan and the whole team to argue strongly and convincingly their case for the hosting of the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup tournament in our country.
Together we have created a society founded on the values of human dignity, the achievement of equality and the advancement of human rights and freedoms. It is a society that upholds nonracialism and nonsexism, as well as the supremacy of the Constitution and the rule of law. The Constitution that we crafted together proclaims a multiparty system of democratic government to ensure accountability, responsiveness and openness. We have regular elections as required by the Constitution, and citizens have the opportunity of voting for the party of their choice to govern them.
The institutions created through our democracy are stable and strong, and we have several checks and balances. We have a Parliament that provides oversight over the executive. We have an independent judiciary which is the final arbiter in all disputes. We have institutions such as the Public Protector, the SA Human Rights Commission, the Auditor-General, the Commission for Gender Equality and others which keep a close watch, protecting the rights of all our people. It is these political achievements of our nation that enable us to stand before you today and say that we must collectively celebrate and claim the victory of successfully hosting the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup. The World Cup tournament was indeed the pinnacle of success for this young democracy and that is due to our people.
In conclusion, allow me to thank the many who made a difference. We thank our premiers and mayors in all the host cities for their sterling work. [Applause.] All the three spheres of government are here to celebrate these achievements and that is why this debate is so special. We thank the children who acted as player escorts, adding a special touch to the tournament. [Applause.] We thank the selfless volunteers, construction workers, immigration officials, law enforcement officials, public transport workers, and, indeed, every South African as all played a critical role. [Applause.]
We thank the religious community for their support. A national prayer service was hosted in the Free State and others took place in other parts of the country, demonstrating support of this tournament. [Applause.] They were all saying, "God help us to have a successful tournament." And, indeed, God heard and answered very quickly. [Applause.] That is why even the criminals went on holiday. [Laughter.]
We congratulate Safa and the 2010 LOC, both the leadership and staff. [Applause.] They are the pioneers of this first Fifa Soccer World Cup tournament on South African soil. We are indebted to our Isithwalandwe, Madiba, who worked so tirelessly to make this dream come true. [Applause.]
We also recognise the contribution of the administration led by former President, Thabo Mbeki, who, working with the LOC, laid the basis for all the planning. [Applause.] We thank Archbishop Desmond Tutu and all in the 1Goal: Education for All initiative, for keeping that important legacy alive during the tournament. [Applause.]
We also acknowledge the soccer legends who are here today, who have laid the foundation for a football nation, and who actively support the 1Goal: Education for All initiative. [Applause.] These include Mark Fish, Patson "Kamuzu" Banda, Doctor Khumalo, Kalusha Bwalya, Trott Moloto, Brian Tlale and Desiree Ellis. [Applause.] I couldn't mention all, but you know many of them. I remember one of them saying, "I wish I were a young man in order to participate." If indeed he was there, he would have done wonders. But by the time he said this, the knees and the legs were no longer that fast. [Laughter.]
We also acknowledge the Bafana Bafana captain, Aaron Mokoena, who is an outstanding and eloquent ambassador of the 1Goal: Education for All initiative. [Applause.] We thank Fifa President, Sepp Blatter, who showed something of character for his unwavering support for our country. [Applause.] He stood his ground, supporting South Africa in the midst of negativity and Afro-pessimism. We thank the media, especially the international media, which provided us with much international exposure, portraying our country accurately as a bastion of peace, stability, efficiency, success and achievement. [Applause.]
We thank the heads of state and governments from the African continent who made time to join us for the opening and closing ceremonies and other matches. In fact, Members of Parliament, no world Cup has ever had so many heads of state at a go as we did here. [Applause.] We had said this would be an African World Cup. They helped us to achieve that goal. It was indeed an African world Cup.
We are able to celebrate that we successfully changed stereotypes about the continent. Nobody can tell us that nothing good can come from Africa, or that we are continent of wars, conflict and poverty. Wherever we go in the continent these days, our African brothers and sisters thank South Africa for proving Africa's capability. [Applause.] In fact, it is music when one hears them saying that they feel so proud, as Africans, to be acknowledged when they go to big countries and cities and hearing people talking good about Africa and South Africa. It's wonderful; it's good music.
We must have made former ANC president, Pixley ka Isaka Seme, very proud because he was a believer in the African continent's ability to do something. In 1906, in his landmark article, the Regeneration of Africa, he said:
I would ask you not to compare Africa to Europe or to any other continent. I make this request not from any fear that such comparison might bring humiliation upon Africa. The reason, I have stated, a common standard is impossible!
Indeed, there can be no comparison, even if we say so ourselves. We also thank the heads of state and governments from all over the world, which succeeded to participate, as many times, and visited our country to support their teams, or sent high level representation. You must have noticed that there were some who were composed and diplomatic. But when the goals were scored, they forgot about status. They jumped up and hugged people accidentally and in whatever way. [Laughter.] It was fun; it was nice.
The South African spirit made even those who came here saying they would compose themselves to forget, especially when they heard the vuvuzelas and everything. They just became South Africans. In fact, up to now, by the way, people still ask, "Why didn't you bring the vuvuzelas." In the SADC summit they were asking, "Where are the vuvuzelas?" [Laughter.] One head of state even told me that he went back with one that was done with beads, but he couldn't do it. However, his children just blew it, and he says that he can't sleep lately. His children are blowing it all the time. In fact, some say we have invented something for the world.
The tournament has ended, but the legacy must live on and inspire us and the way we work. Let us take the spirit forward and use the lessons to build a better South Africa and a greater Africa! Nkosi Sikelela i-Africa! [God bless Africa!] I thank you. [Applause.]
The MINISTER OF SPORT AND RECREATION
The PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC
The [gs2] MINISTER OF SPORT AND RECREATION: Mr Speaker, let me recognise their Excellencies the President and Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, hon members, compatriots and friends. Allow me to apologise, first and foremost, to those of our country who felt irked when the world resorted to Paul the octopus when their bones could have done a better job for Bafana Bafana during this tournament. MEC Mashamba, please convey our apologies to that group of people from Limpopo.
Allow me to thank Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, as well as the other Nobel Peace Prize winner and former President, Rolihlahla Nelson Mandela. On 15 May 2004, Madiba - despite our pleas with him to stay in his hotel room, and promises that we would go and announce the results to him - defied the whole leadership of the organising committee and said, "I will be there." Indeed, by the time we were invited in, he was there waiting for the results. Thank you very much, Zondwa zintshaba. [Applause.] When we were in that small room not knowing what to do or say, Archbishop Tutu just made one proposal which nobody resisted: "Let us pray." [Laughter.] Thank you very much, Tenza.
From the outset, let me also join the President in saying thank you to all South Africans and our international guests and supporters for a wonderful task since that day when Fifa awarded us the right to prepare for and organise the World Cup. I do not know how many letters of congratulations and offers of support we received from Africa and the rest of the world. We thank one and all.
However, above all, we must thank our fellow South Africans for the remarkable display of unity and samewerking [co-operation] when the time called for that. We forgot all our differences and focused on the job at hand. Not least among those were you, hon members. I followed all the debates on the matter in this House and I was impressed by the unanimity of each and every one of us with regards to the importance of hosting this very big event which is second to none in the world.
We can declare today that our stated objectives have been achieved. Like the President quoting from Pixley Ka Isaka Seme, we were probably inspired by the same sentiments. In June 2005 we had already declared that we do not want to host a World Cup that is comparable to the German World Cup. In our strategic plans in the organising committee we declared that we want to host a memorable World Cup which everybody will remember for many years and generations to come. I think we have succeeded in doing that.
We even made a contribution to globalisation with the vuvuzela, everywhere and anywhere. Even those who had banned it before 2010 are now running after it because they too do not want to be left out of the vuvuzela entourage.
The 2010 World Cup also introduced us to some of the countries of the African continent, something that we do not always take into consideration. We decided right at the beginning that at least the six qualifying nations would become part of our family, both in preparation and by visiting their countries to motivate their own citizens to be part of this.
We succeeded in bringing Africa together. Indeed, I think we succeeded - as the President has said - in changing Afro-pessimism. Africa today is no longer seen as the heart of darkness where everything we touch simply rots. Our detractors came, saw and were conquered. Some of them refused to leave and others are continuing to come back, Mr President. Right now we have a delegation from New Zealand. They have come to learn from our experience how to manage the 2011 Rugby World Cup in a way that is as close to ours as possible. They are also here to discuss other things that I will come to towards the end of this input. Thank you very much Mzantsi.
Thank you Fifa for standing your ground no matter how much the barrage was. President Blatter continued to say: "Plan B, South Africa; Plan C, South Africa". [Applause.] Thank you very much indeed.
The tournament exposed us to how good it is to be South Africans. I think we will all declare that during that one month, we discovered who we are as South Africans. We forgot all else that divides us. Rev Meshoe, Hebrews chapter 12(1) became a reality during that period of our history. Thank you very much indeed.
It again proved what we have been arguing all the time, that all of us South Africans agree on the type of South Africa that we are trying to build - a nonracial, democratic, nonsexist South Africa where prosperity and peace prevail. Our differences emerge when we discuss the strategies and tactics of how to get to our stated goal. The challenge now is: How do we take the 2010 World Cup experiences forward? How do we invest this experience for the future of our children and of our country?
At this stage, I must thank my colleagues in Cabinet. It is not very easy to get that team working together in the same direction all the time. The temptation to go on a tangent is always all around us, but not this time around. Our colleagues were very helpful, very co-operative, and indeed even those who were not part of those guaranties insisted on participating as well. [Applause.] I think this inclusivity is what we should take from the World Cup. I can assure you that it will take us many miles in a very short time.
The premiers of the provinces, their MECs and the host city mayors were no young partners in this partnership. Although some of them came after the guaranties had been signed, they just plunged into the yoke and made it happen. I want to apologise to the Premier of Gauteng and the Executive Mayor of Tshwane for harassing them so much about the German base camp issue. But it came right in the end, and it came right at the right time. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Like the rest of the walk to freedom and democracy, how we use those experiences is not going to be an event of one day. It is not going to be something that happens before the end of this year. It is going to be an arduous trip, just like the road to 2010 had been very long and very difficult. It is going to need the goodwill and support of all sectors of society, especially the public and private sectors.
Government needs to provide leadership and to be a catalyst. The private sector needs to come on board with the required resources, both human and material. This will ensure that the various role-players that shape the economy collaborate in a symbiotic manner to make it happen for the whole country. This is one lesson bequeathed to us by organising the 2010 World Cup.
I'm glad that the leaderships of Safa, and the Premier Soccer League, PSL, are here today because I saw them squabbling yesterday in the portfolio committee meeting about who is going to play where and who is going to pay what. To the different federations of our country I want to say that this is neither the time nor the place to discuss those things. The Host City Forum will sit together with our departments, and we will advise the municipalities how best to manage these things without falling prey to the management companies that make the federations complain that access to these facilities is very expensive. Indeed, it will be expensive if you unleash the market forces to determine how we run our public facilities.
When we built these facilities, we said that we were placing in the hands of our people the sort of facilities they have been clamouring for, and for which they have never taken responsibility in the past. We can't now just desert that responsibility and place those facilities in the hands of private managers who want to make maximum profits overnight by managing them.
The public and private sectors will, especially, have to give very serious leadership here, to make sure that South African business people, who met very promising potential partners from across the world, do not turn their backs on us. The space created by the mood during the World Cup, as well as the reverberating rebranding and refocusing of our country in the eyes of the world must be converted into investment opportunities. We must not wait too long, lest London 2012 and New Zealand 2011 take the wind off our sails.
The passionate support for Bafana Bafana was soon translated to "BaGhana BaGhana" when our boys were pipped very early in the competition. The tournament presented us with a unique opportunity ... [Time Expired.] [Applause.]
The PREMIER OF THE WESTERN CAPE
The MINISTER OF SPORT AND RECREATION
The PREMIER OF THE WESTERN CAPE (Ms H Zille): Speaker, Mr President, all hon members and guests, this is an important debate. Firstly, it gives us an opportunity to express deep gratitude to everyone involved in this triumph for South Africa. I associate myself fully with the President's warm thanks and acknowledgement to so many people, whom I do not have the time to mention but would like to fully support. From the LOC to Bafana Bafana, our team, every worker and every manager on the construction site, every volunteer and every one in between, thank you all for an unparalleled team effort. We made history, and we built our nation.
This is also an opportunity to think about what we learned from hosting World Cup. We all agree that the tournament was an unparalleled success. The question is: How did we do it? How did we deliver a global event of this scale in record time when many people still do not have access to basic services after 16 years of democracy? The answer is this: We had an immutable deadline. The world expected the tournament to kick off at l6:00 on 11 June in Johannesburg, and we could not fail. So we did what it took to make it happen.
World Cup deliverables were exempted from normal bureaucratic processes and often dealt with as special cases. All spheres of government aligned their efforts. The best project managers were brought on board, and deviations from time-consuming procedures were often granted. We did this because every other risk paled into insignificance compared to the catastrophe of missing the world's deadline.
The World Cup was a rare case in which all role-players were incentivised to deliver quickly. This incentive is often absent. In fact, government is most often incentivised to deliver slowly because there is a greater risk in not adhering to complex bureaucratic procedures than there is in missing delivery or deadlines. Lawyers always point out the legal pitfalls of not complying with every step of myriad laws and regulations. Politicians and officials comply because taking a short cut is often a greater risk than delivery failure.
This is why, 11 months ago, I met with the President to brief him on the many laws and regulations that make it so difficult to deliver at local level. The President has undertaken to review these laws and bring about changes where necessary. This is greatly encouraging, and we look forward to seeing the outcome.
Of course, we must strike a balance between regulation and delivery. Too much discretion, especially in a context of endemic corruption, is open to abuse. Corruption hampers delivery even more than overregulation does. And it makes a country poorer and poorer.
We must now go beyond talking. We must set immutable deadlines to meet targets in addressing social challenges. If we can learn this lesson from the World Cup and apply it in a way that does not erode our Constitutional democracy, it will have been more than worth it. Understanding how we did what we did is the first lesson. The second is to understand what the World Cup's significance is and how we can replicate it beyond the tournament.
I think that most people would agree with the President when he said that the single greatest achievement of the World Cup was the way it changed stereotyped perceptions of our country and continent. We showed the Afro-pessimists what we can do. We all started to believe in ourselves and that we can be a successful democracy with a growing economy.
How do we keep this momentum going? How can we erase the negative perceptions forever? The good news is that it is all about the choices we make. Let me be quite frank here. In a new book Dr Greg Mills concludes that many of our continent's people are poor because their leaders have made policy choices that lead to impoverishment. He says:
Bad choices have been made because better choices in the broad public interest were in many cases not in the leaders' personal and often financial interests.
Tragically, it is not correct to say that we are advancing equity or equality. I agree with Zwelinzima Vavi when he says that South Africa is becoming a predatory state. And the current assault on media freedom - which is being publicised worldwide - is undoing much of what we achieved in the World Cup. We are starting to conform to the negative stereotype once again.
The only way to turn the tide is for our citizens to take responsibility for exercising the power they have in a democracy to effect change. Mills concludes in his book "that leaders were permitted to get away with ruinous, self-interested decisions can be attributed to a relative lack of bottom-up pressure on leadership to make better choices." In the final analysis, it is our people who decide whether we banish negative perceptions of our country once and for all. They have the power to do it.
It is a very good thing for politicians to fear voters. If we feared
Fifa and the risk of missing the world's deadlines, think how much more we could achieve if government and politicians really feared the voters. [Applause.] This is how it should be in a democracy. If we have learnt this lesson from the World Cup, it will be a legacy beyond anything we ever anticipated. Halala, Mzantsi, Halala! [Praise to South Africa]. I thank you. [Applause.]
Mr G P D MACKENZIE
The PREMIER OF THE WESTERN CAPE (Ms H Zille)
Mr [gs3] G P D MACKENZIE: Mr Speaker, hon President, Deputy President, Ministers, premiers, the people in the gallery, Fifa and the sporting codes, this is one of the most important debates after the World Cup. South Africa won all-round accolades for staging one of the greatest Soccer World Cups of all time. The stupendous goal scored by Simphiwe Tshabalala will remain etched in our collective memories. [Applause.] As a country, we bask in the glory of our successes and, had it not been for unwarranted negative media, the number of overseas visitors would have been even larger.
As the sweet memories of the sound of the triumphant Spanish Armada – singing: "Ole, Ole" - begin to fade into distant memory, we need to jolt ourselves back into everyday reality. As a nation, we must not slip back to business as usual regarding issues such as crime, political agendas and other actions that can unravel the hard-fought gains of the World Cup.
We have changed international perceptions of South Africa. We, at Cope, urge the government to tread cautiously when pursuing policies that will have a negative impact on our freedom and fledgling democracy. To the government I say: "Well done!" It was a great World Cup. Keep it up and you will be amazed at how the country responds. [Applause.]
Witnessing, as I did again and again, the manifest love of our national flag by all our people, the passion with which the national anthem was sung by everybody, and the manner in which all our people, black and white, came together to support the games, provided an enormous spurt to nation-building as well as the definition our national identity. Those powerful gains must be consolidated. The patriotism that was aroused must be kept alive, and the vibrant democracy we put on display must remain intact for all times.
When Bafana Bafana was eliminated in the first round, our people kept alive their total enthusiasm for the remaining games. What a great nation we have! Cope also salutes Bafana Bafana on their gutsy performance on the field. Well done, guys.
Our roads, airports and city infrastructure were improved to such an extent that we could scarcely believe our eyes. We showed clearly what we are capable of doing when we work together as a united people for the common good. Our policing was the best it has ever been, and the wheels of justice turned smoother and faster than ever before. If we could do it then, why can't we do it now? Are the problems of the poor beyond our capacity to solve? I don't believe so.
We really and truly impressed the world. Now the time has come for the government to equally impress the people of South Africa. We demand this with one voice.
Regarding stadiums, unlike Korea and China where newly built stadiums were demolished after their Olympics and World Cups, we must ensure that our legacy remains intact. As Fifa's Jerome Valcke said, the legacy and use of infrastructure and all that will be built for the World Cup must not, and will not, become white elephants.
The government specified in awarding conditional grants to the cities, preparing the stadiums and making them multipurpose venues to include a variety of sports. However, yesterday we learnt that cricket and rugby, among other sports, were not consulted by some city authorities, resulting in some stadiums not being suitable to host different sporting codes. We urge government to come down hard on these cities.
Government was a prime participant in pushing for the sporting infrastructure we have; government must now push to have multipurpose use for them. Taxpayers and, of course, our citizens need this legacy. Our stadiums are iconic. They reflect our personality, our resolve and our spirit. If they die, something very precious in us will also die.
Cope suggests that all PSL matches should also have a curtain-raiser that will involve women soccer players in order to improve their standards and help to attract women spectators. The World Cup has also highlighted the role of the arts in sports. We should henceforth use the experience to make all PSL matches into feasts of arts as well as of sports.
I now come to an important political issue. At the matches I attended, I witnessed both black and white communities coming out in their numbers to watch football. This legacy has an important contribution towards resolving the question of national identity and of achieving social cohesion.
All South Africans love football and this support must continue. The fact that all World Cup matches had a very high level of security encouraged people to indulge their passion for soccer as was evident in the fan parks, beachfronts, PVAs, and the stadiums. As a citizen of Durban, I must say how proud I was to see this transformation. It was clean and welcoming to our tourists. Other cities, with no doubt, would also have done the same. Our challenge is to ensure that this benchmark remains.
As Cope, we are confident that, when government and the sporting bodies get together, everything is possible. Cope offers its heartfelt thanks and gratitude to the South African government, particularly the Minister, who has been a huge support and a driving force for the World Cup, Danny Jordaan and his organising team, the thousands of volunteers, Safa, Fifa and all the people of South Africa who contributed to the success of the World Cup.
If we dream we can create. Our season of dreams, Minister, has only just begun because as a country we now need to start dreaming again. This time we must dream about the Olympics in Durban in 2020. Come on, Durban. Come on, South Africa. We can make it happen. We are as tall as our dreams. Amandla, Mzansi Africa, Amandla! [Power to South Africa Africa, Power!] I thank you. [Applause.]
Prince M G BUTHELEZI
Mr G P D MACKENZIE
Prince [gs4] M G BUTHELEZI: Hon Chairperson of the NCOP, his Excellency the President, his Excellency Deputy President, hon premiers, hon members of the Assembly, like every South African, I am proud of what my country has achieved in hosting the 2010 Fifa World Cup. The significance of this international event held on South African soil transcends the beautiful game. It was about more than just soccer, vuvuzelas and the team spirit that it brought out. It spoke of South Africa's firm footing in the international arena as a noteworthy player. We did our country proud and promoted our continent. Our nation is still cheering.
It was here, on South African soil, that Bafana Bafana delivered a 2-1 victory over the ninth-ranked team in the world. It was here that Bongani Khumalo, Simphiwe Tshabalala and Katlego Mphela brought a nation to its feet. It was here that Ghana's Black Stars qualified from the group stage to the quarterfinals and carried with them the pride of our continent. It was here that the world came, watched, cheered and wept. It was here that a new platform for national unity was forged. [Applause.]
Never before in South Africa's history, have our people been so unified. In my almost 82 years, I have never seen South Africans, from all walks of life, doing the same thing, at the same time, for the same reason, until I witnessed the Soccer World Cup. Standing in Soccer City, which has been called "the melting pot of African cultures", I was struck by the diversity of the spectators. Aside from our international guests, here we had Blacks; Whites; Indians; Coloureds; English speakers; Afrikaners; South Africans speaking isiNdebele, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sesotho, Sepedi, isiSwati; men and women; the young and the old; gathered in one place, voluntarily. We do not see that kind of diversity in the crowds that gather to celebrate our national days.
I have remarked before in this House that our national events still fail to attract a representative group. We still see Freedom Day celebrations attended mostly by blacks, so too with Human Rights Day, Workers Day and Youth Day. After witnessing the diverse group that turned out for the World Cup, it was sad to see Women's Day celebrations again supported primarily by blacks. [Applause.] It was even more hurtful to see Cope's spokesperson being shouted down and booed by members of the ruling party, to the extent that our President threatened to walk out. [Applause.]
I had hoped to see the national unity we built during June and July spill over into a new dynamic when it comes to celebrating together as a nation. If soccer could unite us, why should Heritage Day still see us divided? I still hope to see South Africans coming together on 24 September as we did on 11 June. It is time we delved a little deeper to find what binds us as South Africans and as a nation. May the World Cup be the catalyst of that process.
Many of us in this House have expressed the hope that we might harness the goodwill that the World Cup created and somehow extend its benefits. There is a tangible fear that the World Cup fever will collapse and turn sour. We may very well hear today how much money was spent and how it could have been spent elsewhere. Well, of course, it is true that the millions we raised for building state of the art stadia were necessarily channelled away from building hospitals, schools and houses.
However, if we choose to step under that shadow of regret, we must be ready to relinquish the goodwill and sense of unity we have managed to create. [Applause] Can we afford to do so? I think that would be a pity.
Already our successful hosting of the World Cup leaves us with a tremendous challenge. We have proven to our people what we are capable of and have raised their expectations for the future. We managed to pull together enormous resources in a short space of time. We managed to upgrade the infrastructure that has long been in need of attention. We relocated Durban International Airport; got the Gautrain running; raised a R3,3 billion stadium in Soweto; and hosted a million visitors with grace and aplomb. If we are able to do all of this of these things, our people are certainly going to ask why we were not able to address the daily challenges they face. I thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Mrs M M THUSI
Mr M G BUTHELEZI
Mrs [gs5] M M THUSI: Hon Chairperson of the NCOP, His Excellency the President of the Republic, the Deputy President of the Republic, hon members, and distinguished guests, as I rise to address the House, I wish to express an apology on behalf of the premier, Dr Zweli Mkhize, who could not join us today.
Mr President and hon members, today we have come to celebrate, not to mourn. Let us find another day to mourn and discuss other issues. [Applause.] This is indeed an important debate. First and foremost, I want to salute all civil servants who worked tirelessly to ensure that this country hosts the most successful World Cup showpiece.
We must also acknowledge the contribution of our communities in the political, economic and social arenas because it is a result of their dedication and support that we were able to host an incident-free soccer tournament. Bafana Bafana did not proceed to the next round, but the warmth and hospitality shown by locals has made a lasting impact in the minds of all visitors.
We pay tribute to the LOC for their dedication and commitment. Similarly, we must acknowledge the contribution of former President, Thabo Mbeki, and his previous Cabinet Ministers for working tirelessly to bring to the country the 2010 Fifa World Cup. [Applause.]
We remain indebted and shall forever be grateful to Nelson Mandela for his unique and exemplary leadership as the father of our rainbow nation. As we reflect on the successes that we scored during the World Cup, I urge all of us to keep a little of Madiba spirit in our hearts and do good for others as a tribute to the hero of our times.
We are overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response and interest that has been shown by our guests to this country. We are receiving positive feedback from ambassadors, consular-generals and other dignitaries that we hosted. The most recent positive feedback came from the Australian Minister for Sports, Kate Ellis. Indeed the World Cup enabled us to draw new interest in business and capital to this country. We presented to the visitors our ambitious plans to ensure that this country takes centre stage on the international trade front. The South African government took a decision to use the Fifa World Cup showpiece to showcase unity, our warmth and, most importantly, our commitment to the concept of the rainbow nation.
The members of this House will recall that different leaders of our government, at national as well as provincial levels, led delegations of officials from government, tourism organisations and investment agencies on a visit to different countries. These visits form part of a comprehensive programme aimed at promoting South Africa as a sporting and investment destination to the international markets. Our message to the international countries was very clear: South Africa is ready to host the World Cup.
It is not often that countries find themselves in this kind of convergence of positive measures of public mood, especially in a desperate society such as ours, with all kinds of fissures defined by race, the urban and rural divide. We'll use this convergence to move to a higher trajectory of growth, development and nation-building. South Africa is not only a beautiful and hospitable place in the continent, but a classic example of a community of people who have realised that our collective dreams can be achieved through mutual respect.
We were able to meet all challenges because this country was blessed with leaders coming from diverse communities. These leaders created a new society that thrives on unity, consensus and diversity. In the run-up to the World Cup, the KwaZulu-Natal government launched a community mobilisation campaign aimed at encouraging civic pride and proactive community participation in the World Cup.
The Department of Sport and Recreation launched a highly successful and countrywide mass mobilisation campaign which saw interactions with communities throughout the length and breadth of our country. Concurrent with this campaign was another one driven by the Department of Arts and Culture, during which we encouraged people to fly our flag. The campaign was a resounding success as people dug deep into their pockets displaying our country's flags in their cars, homes, business premises, and so on.
There was also a variety of arts and culture programmes which kept our visitors entertained in-between the games. Teams from government held community road shows and visited schools, churches, youth entertainment spots, shopping centres and other key attraction spots, conveying messages of encouragement to the public to play perfect hosts to our visitors during the World Cup.
Government's decision to invest in the hosting of PVAs during the World Cup tournament paid off tremendously. This ensured that thousands of our people who had no resources to watch matches in the host cities were part of the excitement and of making history, thanks to the visionary leadership of our President. [Applause.]
PVAs were not only a means of entertainment for our people, but they also played a major role in empowering local small businesses. Artists, both emerging and well established, were also given platforms to perform in the PVAs. The challenge before us is to defend and protect the gains that we have made as a country during the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
The World Cup presented government an opportunity to showcase the country's unparalleled natural resources, a tapestry of cultures, a rich history and heritage, and a magnificent topography that features evergreen valleys, eternally laughing waterfalls and attractive beaches; all ready to welcome both business and ordinary tourists.
To give visitors a true warm experience in KwaZulu-Natal, we developed a hosting programme involving a broad cross section of leadership of our people across all sectors, irrespective of their religion and political affiliation. We deployed our leaders to strategic areas where they acted as KwaZulu-Natal ambassadors, effectively becoming the face of the province. They interacted with key stakeholders that we hosted; whom we believe would add immense value to the growth and development of our province and the country.
Most critically, our plan entailed a visit to Pretoria to share our vision with the diplomatic community over dinner with ambassadors. We invited them to identify influential stakeholders, who would be visiting South Africa during the World Cup, from their respective countries. I am proud to report that the hosting plan was appreciated by the majority of the 56 ambassadors and high commissioners who attended prematch events. Other guests we hosted included business people, chief executive officers, chairpersons of boards, political leaders, and others from abroad.
As I conclude my remarks, I want to draw your attention to comments from some VIPs that we hosted during the World Cup. Dieter W Haller, the ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, said:
Nowhere in the world could we have received a warmer welcome. I am absolutely overawed by your hospitality and the efforts you have gone to.
The Honorary Consul for Portugal in Durban, Mr Tony de Souza, was another excited delegate. He congratulated KwaZulu-Natal for showcasing the province to the world. Ambassador Rudolf Baerfuss from the Embassy of Switzerland was overwhelmed by the hospitality. He said:
I was here in March at the "100 days to go" festivities and could not believe the transformation Durban has undergone. The city is a beautiful place to be, and the Office of the Premier could not have gone to more trouble to make today a most memorable occasion. Switzerland is a landlocked country, so to be here next to the sea on your glorious beaches, is indeed a privilege.
Clearly, our co-ordination capabilities ensured that our guests leave our shores with a renewed respect for our country. I hope that they will be bringing their families and friends back to our country and our province. Viva Mzantsi Viva! [Applause.]
Mr B H HOLOMISA
Ms M M THUSI
Mr [gs6] B H HOLOMISA: Deputy Speaker, hon President and Deputy President, hon Premiers and hon members ...
IsiXhosa:
... sesithetha nje mhlekazi kuba kufuneka sithethile, ngamany' amazwi uyigqibile le nto. [Kwaqhwatywa.] Likhona ixesha lokuba sibethane kwaye namhlanje ibingelilo, kodwa ke asinakukuyeka sesikubona noko. [Kwahlekwa.]
English:
The UDM salutes the people of South Africa for making this World Cup a resounding success. In the run-up to this event we spoke of the key role-players who made this possible, namely the then leadership of Safa, who had the vision and were supported by the former President, Nelson Mandela, and his administration; the LOC and former President Mbeki's administration, who oversaw the implementation of that vision; and finally, the administration of President Zuma which oversaw the finishing touches of this great sporting event.
We are right to celebrate our own successes, but that must not prevent us from looking towards the future. We have hosted a successful Soccer World Cup; what now? The UDM would like to make the following two appeals, once more, to government and Safa. Firstly, the stadia and infrastructure that was created need to be maintained and used as a springboard for further infrastructure development. You should bring proper roads and playing fields to the townships and rural areas.
Secondly, you should use the Soccer World Cup as the first stepping stone in a major soccer development programme. There is considerable amounts of money that flow into South African soccer, but not enough of it is being invested in developing tomorrow's talented players.
In conclusion, allow me to say a few words on the possibility of South Africa hosting other major events of this nature. In the past month there has been widespread speculation about bringing the Olympics to our shores. There is no doubt about our ability to host such an event. However, we must proceed with certain caution because the Olympics are hosted by a single city, not the whole country. We need to ensure that whichever city that will bid for the opportunity will have the finances and capacity to deal with the massive infrastructure development that is required whilst simultaneously honouring all of its service delivery commitments.
IsiXhosa:
SEKELA-SOMLOMO: Mhlekazi, ixesha lakho liphelile.
IsiXhosa:
Mnu B H HOLOMISA: Ndikuvile mama, musa ukungxola. [Intswahla.]
Mr T D LEE
Mr B H HOLOMISA
Mr T D LEE: Madam Deputy Speaker, Mr President, Mr Deputy President, colleagues and friends, at the unveiling of the 2010 Fifa World Cup emblem in Berlin, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, UN, Kofi Annan, said the following:
As the pinnacle of the only truly global game, played in every country by every race and every religion, it is one of the few phenomena as universal as the United Nations. The World Cup is an event in which everybody knows where their team stands, and what it did to get there. Everybody loves talking about what their team did right, and what it could have done differently.
Annan further said -
I wish we had more of that sort of competition and conversation in the family of nations. Countries openly vying for the best standing in the table of respect for human rights, and trying to outdo one another. States parading their performance for all the world to see. Governments being held accountable for what actions led them to that result. Citizens consumed by the topic of how their country could do better.
With that kind of public scrutiny, good governance would not be an option; it would be a necessity. And with that sense of public ownership, countries would better ensure that their own resources are used in a way that benefits their own daughters and sons.
That was what Kofi Annan said. So let us take what we have learnt from hosting the 2010 Fifa World Cup and unveil a future of hope for our nation - a future where our actions will echo what is right and what is good; a future South Africa where we deliver in accordance with deadlines, and where we deliver services to benefit all of our own sons and daughters.
Let us stand united to ensure that we can speak out about what our government did right, and what it could have done differently, without fear of intimidation and harassment. Let us stand together and hold government accountable for its actions.
South African citizens, engage yourselves in how South Africa could do better. We must begin to demand that good governance becomes a necessity, not an option. Take control of the future of our beautiful country - of your future as South Africans - and demand that our resources be used for the betterment of all people, and not for the benefit of an elite minority with the right political connections.
Afrikaans [gs7] :
Mnr [gs8] T D LEE: Speaker, 'n ander les wat ons geleer het is die feit dat as ons eerbaar optree, ons die respek en agting van die wêreld afdwing. So, byvoorbeeld, het ons, as deel van die ooreenkoms, wetgewing deurgevoer wat as nadelig vir ons eie sakegemeenskap geag mag word. By nabetragting, weet ons almal altyd beter, en daarom is ek doodseker dat ons ongemaklik gevoel het met die totale houvas wat Fifa oor die gasheerland het, wat die Sokkerwêreldbeker aanbied.
Ons moet onsself afvra waarom dit vir Korea goedkoper was om, nadat hulle die Wêreldbeker aangebied het, hul stadiums te sloop eerder as om dit te onderhou. Dit verbaas my dus glad nie dat Nederland en België nou in opstand kom teen hierdie versmorende neiging van Fifa nie. Op 'n manier, sal die afkeer wat ons vir dié sort optrede het, onder die aandag van Fifa gebring moet word.
English[gs9] :
During the event, we showed pride as a nation united in diversity, and this yielded a successful World Cup. South Africa, we have to begin respecting our diversity and, in doing so, so much more will be achieved.
We have learnt numerous lessons during the 2010 Fifa World Cup. But, above all, we have learnt that development, peace and human rights, promoting and building a true democracy and an open society are core to building a great and prosperous nation.
I have penned a poem titled South Africa, Our land. This time around I didn't get the assistance of Mr James Selfe, so I don't owe him any royalties. The poem goes like this:
Oh, South Africa and Africa
our beautiful lands
Your fragile future
we hold in our fallible hands
the football World Cup for us a table has laid
to show to the world of what stuff we are made
The challenge we accept we dare not fail
otherwise everything would have been to no avail
The World Cup showed us what could be done
if we act in harmony and as one
As leaders we have to show the way
if on course to prosperity we want to stay
If we do the right things and act with sense
this country is destined for excellence.
Thank you. [Applause.]
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES
Mr T D LEE
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES: Madam Deputy Speaker, today we say thank you to those people in South Africa who dreamt that South Africa could host the Soccer World Cup. Robert Goddard, father of the American space program, said "every dream is a joke, until the first person accomplishes it."
Yesterday, with a view to today's debate, I went through newspaper clippings of the past couple of months. It is notable that, prior to the start of the tournament, the majority of writers abroad and in South Africa were pessimistic and negative about South Africa's capability to host the tournament successfully. After the tournament, the majority of writers were positive about the success of the tournament. The pessimists were proven wrong.
Sir, how do you recognise a pessimist? They say if a pessimist smells flowers, he does not look where the closest garden is; he looks where the closest funeral is.
Up to 500 million television viewers watched the final game. There weren't any power outages as some had predicted there would be. The large terrorist attack which had been predicted had thankfully not taken place, and the majority of the security and other arrangements ran smoothly. The Gautrain operated perfectly, and road traffic in the majority of our cities is faster and better after the road infrastructure had been upgraded. If you had flown recently, you would have been impressed with how attractive and modern our airports now appear to be.
As to the precise costs and the advantages and disadvantages for South Africa, there will be raging debates for a long time to come.
According to government, R33 billion was spent on transport infrastructure, telecommunications and stadiums.
The question today is: What have we learnt from this success? Why can we not repeat the success of the soccer tournament with the solving of all the other problems, the building of houses, the repair of potholes, and the combating of crime? Crime declined during the hosting of the tournament, and now murder, robberies and farm attacks are suddenly back. What was the recipe for this success?
Firstly, everybody worked together enthusiastically. There were no negative spoilers. The closest we came to that was the ANC Youth League's criticism of the Bafana Bafana captain, their comments on farmers and the events surrounding Eugene Terre'blanche's murder – which definitely frightened foreign spectators away. But, Sir, all South Africans approached their tasks in a positive manner.
Secondly, we utilised the best expertise which South Africa possesses to complete the stadiums on time and to improve the infrastructure. Thirdly, politics was made subservient to the accomplishment of specific objectives and, fourthly, there were specific deadlines. The result was a successful tournament and a feel-good atmosphere among all South Africans with hope for the future.
With the rapid increase in crime after the tournament, as well as the rising ANC populism at the moment - according to their September conference - we are busy losing it again. For the sake of our children and the future, we cannot lose it. Former American President, L B Johnson, said: "Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or to lose." I thank you.
The MINISTER OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND CO-OPERATION
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES
The [gs10] MINISTER OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND CO-OPERATION: Hon Deputy Speaker, hon President and Deputy President, hon premiers, hon Ministers, hon members of the Joint Sitting, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, our forebear, father and former president of the ANC, Oliver Tambo, prophetically said in 1976:
When we finally get free, we will have a South Africa which will live in peace with its neighbours and with the rest of the world. It will base its foreign policy and foreign relations on the principles of non-interference and mutually advantageous assistance among peoples of the world as well as the continuation of the struggle against the system of imperialist and colonial domination.
Sepedi:[gs11]
Ge ke eme mo pele ga lena Ntlo ye e Kgetheligelo, ke gopola gore mo kgweding ye ya basadi, Mma Lilian Masediba Ngoyi - ngwana wa ga Matabane - le Mma Charlotte Makgomo Maxeke – ngwana wa ga Manye - ba swanetše go ba ba myemyela ba re mala a basadi a rwala dikgolo.
IsiXhosa:
Malibongwe!
English:
Social scientists, Joe Luft and Harry Ingham, designed the famous Johari Window to unravel the mystery in each one of us. The mystery is due to the fact that there are things that we know about ourselves – things which other people don't know; and there are those things that we don't know about ourselves - things which other people do know.
Our hosting of the Soccer World Cup taught us something about ourselves, namely: Those who believed in us always knew about us. It has also helped the world to know something about us, and that is: We always believed in ourselves. We also helped the world to know something about itself – something that we always knew about ourselves - and that is ubuntu, botho. We taught the world about ubuntu in the manner in which we received our visitors and projected our humanity. This experience even touched the US soccer team during their Confederations Cup, to the extent that the team internalised ubuntu as its guiding philosophy.
The Boston Celtics, one of the giants of American basketball, has also found solace and spiritual guidance in our ubuntu belief. One American journalist, William Rhodes, who writes for New York Times, wrote:
Ubuntu seems especially well-suited to team sports in that it describes an approach to life that is characterised by selflessness, sharing, unity and respect.
The task for South Africa in asserting our place in the world can never be an event but a process. It is going to be a long journey. Like all journeys, there will be high moments and trying times. The hosting of the World Cup was such a high moment. It followed others like the Rugby World Cup, the World Conference on Sustainable Development, and our first tenure in the United Nations Security Council during the years 2007 and 2008. Each of these moments laid the basis for the other, building on lessons learnt.
Never before in the history of the hosting of the World Cup has a country volunteered to share this rare privilege, with all its opportunities of incomparable magnitude, with its neighbours, let alone an entire continent. We took that decision as a country because we are sincere in our belief that this is Africa's time; Ke Nako! [It's time!]
Our continent can rise and walk talk in this African century. It can take its place among the nations of the world as an equal and, indeed, feed, clothe, educate and shelter its people, only when we take bold decisions of this nature.
The correctness of our decision has been vindicated. The chapter has now been closed on the pessimism, cynicism with which some sceptics viewed the ability and the capacity of our continent. I can now declare to you that, indeed, the world believes that we are a permanent Plan B.
We took measures to give concrete expression to our decision to make this Soccer World Cup an African event. We worked with countries on our continent – including the five whose teams qualified for the finals – to take the Soccer World Cup to every household in Africa and create conditions for its benefits to be shared by all our people for a better life.
We played our part as country when the eighth assembly of the African Union, AU, reaffirmed our continent's commitment to owning the Soccer World Cup event and declared 2007 the International Year of African Football. We worked with other African nations in the context of the AU declaration – through meetings and programmes on sectoral issues like sports, tourism, the environment, etc – for concrete action with concrete results.
It therefore made sense for our President to invite his colleagues and other eminent African personalities to the opening and closing matches of the event as recognition of the support received from our African brother and sisters. In total, more than 30 African heads of state and governments honoured our President's invitation.
The South African Development Community, SADC, also took full advantage of the event through concrete action with concrete with concrete results. An example here is the launch of the SADC 2010 Investment Promotion Programme under the theme: "1 Team, 15 Nations for Sustainable Investments". The programme, which will run up to December 2011, is aimed at mobilising investment resources for our regional infrastructure, trade and industry, and tourism, in order to support our efforts to combat poverty and accelerate the integration of our region.
We worked with the UN in leveraging the event for the accelerated implementation of its various agencies' programmes – from the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, the Human Rights Council, to the UN Sport for Development and Peace.
At the closing event of the Fifa 2010 World Cup, UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, said that the 2010 Fifa World Cup gave the UN a momentum in its work that will have to be carried through in the coming years and amplified even further UN engagements with national governments.
I need to reiterate what our hon President said about our hosting of the "1 Goal: Education for All" campaign which he launched during the tournament. He said that, for the very first time ever, a political summit was hosted on the sidelines of a sporting event of this nature. We want to take this opportunity to thank you ever so much, Mr President, for that. [Applause.]
International artists and film stars, who were among the many visitors that were received during the one-month spectacle, left this country singing our country's praises, making my job even easier because they have become our future ambassadors. During the event, the City of Cape Town opened its arms and, for the very first time hosted - together with DTI, Fortune 500, CNN and Time 100 - a three-day conference on African soil, which brought together international business luminaries and other world leaders. This served to confirm our continent as a new global opportunity.
Though the Soccer World Cup may not have silenced the guns in some parts of our continent, or made poverty history for many of our people, it has strengthened our resolve and our conviction and belief that a better Africa is possible. We have, thus, received congratulatory tributes from all corners of the world, including the General Assembly of the UN on the occasion of the inaugural launch of the celebration of the International Nelson Mandela Day, as well as during the Summit of the AU held recently in Kampala.
May I also hasten to say that it was the first time that the UN General Assembly declared a day to celebrate but just one individual, Nelson Mandela. It has never happened before. [Applause.]
In his address to the AU summit that I alluded to earlier, German Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle, who does not necessarily share political ideology with me, said:
People in Germany, in Europe, and all over the world experienced the modern Africa with perfect organisation and an overwhelming hospitality during the World Cup. Africa presented the world with a gift of an unforgettable soccer festival.
These humbling accolades were summed up by none other than President Joseph Kabila at the 30th Jubilee celebration in Namibia a day before yesterday when he said:
To say the least, South Africa administered a blow to Afro-pessimism and rekindled self-respect, self-esteem and confidence among the daughters and sons of our continent.
We should accept these accolades with the humility which our country is known for. At the same time, we should be proud as a nation for the modest contribution we made to the cause of our African continent and humanity in general.
We have shown that, as a country, South Africa can play its role on this continent and globally as a committed and responsible member of the international community. We shall use this positive space to respond to the challenge of growing our economy and ensuring that its benefits are shared by all.
The event has indeed taught us something about ourselves, something which Madiba, in particular, always believed about us, and that is: Our ubuntu can pull us together as a team, in our diversity, to rally behind a uniting vision. We now know that when we are united, with our differences aside, our ubuntu can prevail to inspire the others.
In the next two years, we will be joining the UN Security Council again, led and inspired by ubuntu. I thank you. [Time expired.]
The DEPUTY SPEAKER
The MINISTER OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND CO-OPERATION
The [gs12] DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon members, before hon Meshoe starts speaking, if I can hear you talking at this level, it means you are making noise and breaking the rules.
Rev [gs13] K R J MESHOE: Deputy Speaker, hon President, hon Deputy President and hon members, South Africans have never displayed so much joy, harmony and unity of purpose as we saw them during the World Cup. The sight of different racial groups and colours, all standing side by side, shouting, singing and blowing their vuvuzelas was beautiful to behold.
Indeed, the success of this tournament was, by far, beyond all expectations. Even the optimists were taken by surprise by the overwhelming success that we have achieved. Foreigners who spoke little English said, "This is wonderful." Foreign journalists, who had been negative in their reporting about our preparedness for the World Cup, could not find a negative thing to report about. Yes, Africa did it, and South Africa did it in style. Who can doubt the fact that the world's perception of Africa has improved?
However, the ACDP is concerned that the positive image of this country, which was created by the successful World Cup, is being undermined by the latest events such as the strike, the controversial media appeals tribunal and the Protection of Information Bill.
The Vienna-based International Press Institute said that it had sent an open letter to President Zuma expressing their concerns over what the ANC is planning to do with the media appeals tribunal and the Protection of Information Bill. [Interjections.] In the letter, the watchdog expressed concern that the planned regulations will endanger the independence and vitality of the South African media.
A Zimbabwean media analyst who is in our country is reported to have said that parallels between the Bill and the Zimbabwean government's actions were clear. He said:
Just as Zimbabwean African National Union Patriotic Front, Zanu-PF, did, this is a very clear attempt to control the media. This Bill has been initiated by those in power who cannot take criticism from the media.
As the rain outside has dampened the warm and sunny weather we've all enjoyed over the last few days, so has the latest news about what the SA Rugby Union President, Oregon Hoskins, called "major problems" concerning the use of the new stadiums for future matches. It sounds like they will turn into white elephants and we really want to appeal to government to ensure that this does not become the case.
In conclusion, the ACDP wants to join the President in thanking the long list of people who have contributed much to make South Africa a talk of the nation because we have improved the image of Africa by hosting a very successful World Cup. I thank you. [Applause.]
Ms M N MATHLADI
Rev K R J MESHOE
Ms [gs14] M N MATLADI: Hon Deputy Speaker, tempting as it always is to look for areas where criticism could be applied, today is a day when all such is forsaken. Today is one of the rare occasions where we can afford to unanimously pat each other on the back and say: "Well done Africa!" [Applause.]
Congratulations to all Africans for the successful hosting of the most popular global sporting event. Indeed, we silenced the critics who thought that Africa is not good enough to host an event of this magnitude. It is with a great sense of relief and delight that the sporting event was without the incidents that the doomsayers had prophesied.
Congratulations are in good order for the Police Ministry. Indeed, you have done us proud. You did not only protect our visitors, ensured the enforcement of law, but you planted a seed of hope that the country has the capacity to effectively deal with the scourge of crime that has tormented our teenage democracy.
If we, as a nation, can work together as we did with the organising of this event and developing magnificent stadia and fascinating infrastructure topped by Africa's greatest virtue of ubuntu, we can and should be able to address, effectively, issues of poverty, unemployment, crime and HIV/Aids. What we have to do is to say that the same zeal that we displayed with the World Cup has to be displayed in addressing the abovementioned. We need to forge ahead with the very same spirit and make the people who are the slave masters know that Africa can come out triumphantly out of all the challenges that have been mentioned. I thank you. [Applause.]
Ms F I CHOHAN
Ms M N MATHLADI
Ms [gs15] F I CHOHAN: Madam Deputy Speaker, Mr President, Mr Deputy President, I think it's important for me to warn members that I'm the thirteenth speaker and it's very bad luck not to listen to me. As the World Cup tournament ended, President Jacob Zuma diverted our attention, as well as that of the world, away from soccer towards education. At the Education Summit on 11 July 2010, he said:
We want education to be the lasting legacy of the 2010 World Cup soccer tournament. We urge all nations of the world to mobilise in every corner to ensure that every child is in school, especially at the primary school level.
There are two objectives adopted by the international community in the field of education. The first is Millennium Development Goal 2 which aims to achieve universal primary education by the year 2015. The second is the "Education for All" initiative which is an international initiative to bring the benefits of education to every citizen in every society.
The 1Goal: Education for All campaign is a popular campaign to enrol all children, worldwide, into schools by 2014. Key patrons of this campaign are the Noble Peace Laureate, His Grace Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Her Majesty Queen Rania of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and Fifa President, Sepp Blatter.
What is the situation, now, regarding universal primary education? Globally, there has been some progress. An additional 42 million children have entered primary school since 2000 notably because of increased political leadership and national resources for education. However, progress has been slow and some formidable challenges remain.
About 47 of 163 countries have achieved universal primary education, and an additional 20 countries are estimated to be on track to achieve this goal by 2015. But very big challenges remain in 44 countries, 23 of which are on this continent. These countries are unlikely to achieve universal primary education by 2015, unless domestic and international efforts are accelerated substantially.
Colleagues, approximately 72 million children are still denied their basic right to education in our world, and 759 million adults lack basic literacy skills in this age of cellphones, the internet, and the ability for us to view planets and distant galaxies.
When we speak about this issue, we should consider that 72 million children who are not in school will be trapped in a cycle of poverty which will deny us the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal of eradicating poverty from the face of this planet. I say again, 72 million children have never seen a classroom. That is more children, by the way, than all of the children going to primary school in the US, Canada, the whole of Europe and Australia, all combined.
We should consider, as an African state, that 32 million of this number are on this continent. Thirty-two million African children don't go to school. By July 2010, 12 million people, ordinary soccer fans, had joined the 1Goal: Education for All campaign and signed the yellow card calling on leaders of the world to make illiteracy history. Twelve million people called on world leaders to ensure that every child who is born on this planet receives education and the chance to beat poverty. This makes it the biggest campaign for education in the history of mankind, and it is soccer that has made it possible. Because of the World Cup, many prominent and influential people have joined the campaign and lent their tacit and active support.
When asked about his role in the 1Goal: Education for All campaign, His Grace Archbishop Tutu stated the following:
Without free and compulsory schooling, the lives of these children are a nightmare of forced labour in factories, sweatshops and fields. For this reason, I have become a co-chair of 1Goal: Education for All.
The fact that we have 72 million children out of school shames us; it should shame the world. There are heart-wrenching cases all over the developing world, and stories like Mahder's, a 12 year old from Ethiopia, are all too common. Like any child who should play sports and love reality TV; when her father died, her family could no longer afford school fees. It is stories like Mahder's that has led 1Goal to call for the abolition of school fees in all developing countries, so that a level of educational inclusion, which is yet to be attained, can be delivered.
His Grace Archbishop Desmond Tutu said:
The solutions put forward by 1Goal are so simple that it is immensely frustrating that they need to be enumerated at all. The essence is this: Rich governments must play their part by supporting poorer countries in getting all children to school. For their part, developing countries must bear the responsibility of making sure that the money is spent properly by ensuring that 20% of their budgets are given over to education.
Further, developing countries must make education a constitutional right. Yes, times are tight, financially. But bear in mind that $16 billion is needed to deliver the dream of universal access to education. This amount amounts to only 0,2% of the money used to bail out the global banking system recently. The economic case is absolutely clear that developing countries could be losing out to the tune of 70 billion in a year by not having well-educated populations.
Excitingly, the world of football has lined up behind the campaign. I am proud to say that very prominent members of Bafana Bafana, including Aaron Mokoena, the captain, have lent his support to this campaign.
His Grace concludes –
It is the first time ever that the tournament of this nature will leave a genuine legacy.
While $16 billion is needed to achieve this goal of universal access to education in 2015, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation's, UNESCO, Education for All Global Monitoring Report indicates that aid to basic education in sub-Saharan Africa has dropped from 1,7 billion to 1,6 billion in 2008. So let us recap: We need to send 72 million kids to school; we need 0,2% of the money used to bail out global banks; and we have just 0,02% of this money spent on education.
Premier Zille spoke about choices. Let us also remember that in this country, as the President said, 200 000 children don't go to school. Let us address this reality. Let us address the reality that more coloured boys and girls are out of school than any other group in this country. Let us get those kids into schools and eradicate the legacy of gangsterism and drugs in the Cape Flats. Thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Mr R B BHOOLA
Ms F I CHOHAN
Mr [gs16] R B BHOOLA: Hon Deputy Speaker, hon President and Deputy President, if ever South Africa got the respectability of the world and proved the prophets of doom wrong, it was when the great sports commentators and Fifa President, Sepp Blatter, declared that it was the best World Cup ever.
For the first time all sections of the community understood what the meaning of social cohesion was. And Madiba's call for unity through sports profoundly demonstrated a strong symbol of friendship, solidarity and humility. Everybody united under the South African flag. They flocked to the grounds, the fan parks, and the gift centres. They mingled with the people and made South Africa proud. Indeed, our organisational ability in sports, which is demonstrated by how we hosted the Rugby World Cup, the World Swimming Cup, the Indian Premier League, IPL, and the Champions' Leagues, goes to show that we are a nation about whom we can be proud of.
However, South Africa must also take this in her stride and move away from race. We must look at every sector of the community and say: "If you can make a contribution, you will be allowed to do so irrespective of race, colour and creed." We have great faith and hope in the future of our country. We have proved it and I think that - besides the miracle of 27 April 1994 - the success of the World Cup was a great exercise, and Africa was proud of it. [Laughter.]
I also think that the World Cup proved that there was a need for changing the rules. The MF believes that the definition of a goal is when the ball completely crosses the line and makes an eclipse. However, the MF now proposes that we must change that definition and say that a goal is a goal only when the referee sees it.
Indeed, true accolades must be awarded to all South Africans for the spirit of brotherhood and togetherness. Undoubtedly, we are vastly proud and patriotic of Bafana Bafana. As the slogan so accurately says: "You take no risk, you bear no success."
Indeed, success goes to those who are prepared to work hard with courage, conviction and determination to deliver everybody from the shackles of poverty. South Africa was just not any country hosting the World Cup, but simply was the best.
Mr President, this country makes us proud and the World Cup has given meaning to the words: "Proudly South African." I am proud that I am a South African. I can walk the streets in the international arena because I am a South African, and the World Cup has made me proud. [Applause.]
I have no doubt, hon President, that your call for the World Cup to leave a legacy for 1Goal: Education for All is alive with reality. We just have to feel it; it is right here. Indeed, South Africa is a country with unlimited possibilities. The World Cup has laid a strong foundation based on mutual trust, understanding, unity and nation-building. It's time for Africa. Halala, Africa, halalaa! [Applause.]
The PREMIER OF GAUTENG
Mr R B BHOOLA
The [gs17] PREMIER OF GAUTENG (Ms N Mokonyane) Deputy Speaker, the President of the Republic of South Africa, His Excellency President Jacob Zuma, the Deputy President, hon Speaker, hon Chairperson of the NCOP, hon members and fellow South Africans, South Africa is indeed a country that is alive with possibilities. The 2010 Fifa World Cup has just demonstrated this fact to millions of people all over the world.
The successful hosting of the World Cup has proven that South Africa has both the capacity and capability to host big global events. We have also used the opportunity created by the World Cup to display our world-class capability, skills and ability to deliver. This placed a huge responsibility on the government to ensure that everything goes well, especially with regards to traffic management, public transport, health and emergency services.
With close co-operation between the three spheres of government and the organising committee, we all fulfilled our responsibilities and delivered a great World Cup. The volunteers who worked hard every day of the World Cup also made a significant contribution to this success, learning from the volunteers of yesteryear, Chief Albert Luthuli, Nelson Mandela and the others.
For four weeks the world was enthralled by some of the most exhilarating football. Throughout the tournament the stadia, fan parks, PVAs and every part of our country was characterised by a festival mood. Never before has our country received such positive publicity.
Hundreds of thousands of visitors who came to our country for the World Cup were exposed to the positive attributes of our country which were always overshadowed by some of our problems and shortcomings – something that even here today was demonstrated by our own. This is something that we really need to try and refrain from. Let us take away the negative energy and focus together on the good that we can do collectively for the country. [Applause.]
Even the millions of people who followed the World Cup through the mass media were able to see the better side of our country because of the positive media reports. Some thought we live on trees in mountains and buy clothes only when we travel to Europe, but they found beautiful ladies, handsome men, beautiful and peace-loving people here on the shores of South Africa. I am told, hon members, that when others arrived at OR Tambo International Airport, they actually asked when were they going to connect to South Africa; not realising that, indeed, they have arrived in South Africa. Big up to South Africa! [Applause.]
Many of the visitors who had an opportunity to spend time in our townships and cities have publicly expressed great appreciation of the warmth and hospitality of our people. Most of those who were at the stadium also found an opportunity to spend time on Vilakazi Street – the only street in the world that has had two residents who are recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize, Dr Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. They were able to go and spend time in Umlazi, in Gugulethu, in some of the villages and even in our own conservation areas. They found it quite opportune to know better about South Africa and feel it that, indeed, it is South Africa a country full of surprises.
New tourism markets have been opened with first-time visitors from Latin American countries such as Mexico indicating that they would like to visit our country again in the future. And I must hasten to say that, already, there are relationships that are now being built between countries such as Spain and provinces in terms of sisterhoods to promote arts and creative industries.
With most of the World Cup activities having being staged in Gauteng, the province received the biggest share of the tourists who visited the country during the World Cup period. Approximately 75% of the estimated 463 000 visitors stayed in Gauteng. While the full economic impact of the World Cup will be known once the necessary studies have been concluded, preliminary reports indicate that there has been a substantial increase in spending during the period of the tournament. The success of hosting the World Cup will be measured not only on the impact we made during the four weeks of the tournament, but also on the legacy left behind and how that benefits the people.
The greatest legacy of the World Cup is the much-needed public infrastructure. We now have modern stadia which compare with some of the best in the world. We have upgraded our transport infrastructure to meet the needs as the most urbanised provinces and cities required that. We have increased the capacity of our health care facilities including emergency medical services.
The money spent in the development and refurbishment of infrastructure was a worthy investment whose returns will be fully realised in the long-term by the very voters that we are told in this House that we fear. We do not fear the voters; hence our priorities are education and health. [Interjections.] We have been consistently cognisant their situations and we know them better. And precisely because they understand that we are here to serve, they responded to our clarion call and became the best hosts. They have never been negative, and they have continued to raise the flag. [Applause.]
The new ambulances and other resources that we have acquired to cater for the World Cup are available to serve our people. The increased capacity has enabled us to respond faster to emergency calls. The improved road network has resulted in the easing of the flow of traffic on some of our busiest roads.
The World Cup has taught us an important lesson that better co-operation by different spheres of government can lead to greater efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery. It has nothing to do with interference with the Constitution. Good examples of this are joint management of traffic flow and public transport and how we co-operated in implementing an effective security plan under the single command of the SA Police Service, SAPS. If this close co-operation continues beyond the World Cup, we can achieve greater results.
Hosting the World Cup had also given us an opportunity to put our public transport system to test, and it proved to be very efficient and reliable. The first phase of the Gautrain started operating on 8 June 2010, before the start of the World Cup. The train service and its feeder system added the much needed capacity in the public transport system. When the next phases are completed in 2011, the Gautrain will become the backbone of our integrated public transport system.
Government will continue to work together with the transport sector and ensure that we make the public transport the most reliable means of transport as one of the best lessons out of the World Cup. Smarter usage of the existing modes of public transport in the form of trains, buses, and minibuses will be encouraged.
The resounding success of the World Cup has raised our country's confidence to bid for more world sporting events, with the 2020 Olympic Games being seen as a possibility. We, as Gauteng, will support any South African cities which may decide to bid for the Olympic Games and will consider major infrastructure development. If it is Ethekwini, we already have plans of connecting Ethekwini and the city of Johannesburg through a speed train. This is a lesson we have learnt from the Gautrain. They'll do it and we will all contribute towards its success. [Applause.] We will offer our expertise on big infrastructure planning and development to any of the South African cities that gets awarded the right to host the games. Re kaofela. [We are together.]
The challenge now is how to sustain the positive mood and encourage the people to continue promoting patriotism. For example, we must redefine how we celebrate our national days and, most importantly, our heritage as a nation, without leaving this to political parties and contestation as to the meaning of our important national days: Workers' Day, Human Rights Day, Women's Day and Youth Day. As a country - learning from the World Cup - we need to work to together, celebrate as a nation and re be kaofela [and be together.]
I wish to pay special tribute to all the people who contributed to the success of the World Cup. I also wish to pay special tribute to our football legends who were there with us throughout the tournament.
It would also be remiss on my part if I do not pay special tribute to the women of our country, especially during this month which is dedicated to the women for the role they played and continue to play in the development of our country. A few names of women who made a significant contribution to the World Cup include the Airports Company South Africa, Acsa, CEO, Ms Monhla Hlahla – big up to her. The other one is the Johannesburg Head of the 2010 Unit, Sbongile Mazibuko – you see Soccer City, you see the designs, you see Ellis Park, it is out of the efforts and the leadership of Sbongile Mazibuko. [Applause.] The third one is one of the first Gautrain drivers, Nomzamo Zitha. The ignition key that was put in the Gautrain on the 8th of June was inserted by a woman, Nomzamo Zitha, a 19-year-old who has been brought up by a single mother – big up to her! [Applause.]
Moving forward, I think we need to seize from becoming the negative communicators about our country. The world has seen us, and the world believes in us. We cannot be the ones who speak negative about ourselves. However, we know that some of us would want to play politics even on issues of nation-building and social cohesion. The world will be shocked to hear you talking bad about our country, your country, because they have seen it; they have seen its people; and they have seen the leadership. You will be an outcast. Thank you.
Mr G R KRUMBOCK
The PREMIER OF GAUTENG (Ms N MOKONYANE)
Mr [gs18] G R KRUMBOCK: Deputy Speaker, the point of hosting any mega event such as the Fifa World Cup or the Olympics is to use this rare opportunity to rebrand your country in a way that stimulates investor confidence and significantly increase tourism appeal.
The World Cup offered our country the chance to decisively rebrand ourselves as a safe, friendly and value-for-money destination that could present an unparalleled range of experiences that are unrivalled anywhere else around the world. It is against this long-term objective that our hosting of the 2010 Fifa World Cup should be viewed.
During the World Cup itself, the DA interacted with and interviewed face to face a large number of fans as fellow tourists in the airports, striding out in the fan walks, trying out the Rea Vaya, together at the park and rides, riding on the Gautrain and on the intercity and airport shuttles. Based on these interviews, we can unequivocally state that, from a tourism perspective, our hosting of the 2010 Fifa World Cup was a resounding success.
In the first instance, the World Cup tourists who visited our shores found South Africans to be amongst the friendliest people in the world. Eleven percent of them found South Africans to be friendly and hospitable, while a whopping 89% found us extremely friendly and hospitable. Typical of this experience was that of Andre and Nor Coquillard of Seoul, South Korea, who spoke about a family in Sandton who found them stranded in our country and offered them hospitality in their home.
The deployment of an additional 40 000 SAPS officers onto our streets during the World Cup succeeded beyond anyone's expectations. Seventy percent of fans said they felt safe, 26% felt very safe, and only 4% said they felt - on occasion - somewhat unsafe, mostly in Johannesburg. Many tourists said that the constant visible presence of the SAPS officers was a reassuring factor which made them feel completely at ease. They also said that their actual experience during the World Cup in terms of safety was completely different to the perception they had gained back home.
The lesson that we must draw from this aspect of the World Cup experience is obvious. Visible policing works, and there is no reason for any tourist to feel unsafe in our country, provided that reasonable safety precautions are practised.
Fears that World Cup tourists might be overcharged proved unfounded. Competition in the hospitality industries ensured that 48% of our tourists found prices reasonable and similar to those back home, while a further 45% found our prices cheaper than in their home country. Only 7% found prices more expensive, with most respondents citing taxi fares as the culprit.
Not surprisingly, 23% of World Cup visitors found the individual games and general World Cup experience the highlight of their trip. Excluding the football, 37% of our tourists found the Kruger Park, safaris and game drives their most memorable experience during the tournament, while 26% found Cape Town and its tourist attractions outstanding.
A less expected result was that one in four tourists found South Africa's people themselves to be their most rewarding experience. Fans found the ongoing development of our rainbow nation and nonracial crowds singing Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika together at fans zones and at beach fronts to be personally unforgettable.
Of course, challenges do remain. The chaos that ensued on 7 July 2010 at King Shaka International Airport before the World Cup semi-final between Germany and Spain, when Acsa spinelessly failed to exercise proper control, must be stringently interrogated by the Portfolio Committee on Transport. Not only did this incident undermine the very positive reports of our country that had hitherto dominated the world press, but it should have been avoided based on numerous earlier warnings which were, unfortunately, ignored.
While my personal experience and that of most South Africans was that the park and rides - with the exception of Rustenburg - airport shuttles, intercity shuttles, Rea Vaya, taxis and fan walks operated seamlessly every time, it is interesting that 74,5% of our tourists found transport to either be their worst experience during the World Cup, or the area where the greatest improvement is needed. Respondents cited potholes, untarred roads, lack of public transport, clogged traffic in Johannesburg and expensive taxis time and time again. As much as public transport was an improvement during the World Cup, our tourists are telling us that we are nowhere near international standards yet.
Transport issues notwithstanding, the DA believes that our overall hosting the 2010 Fifa World Cup to be a remarkable success. We have successfully rebranded our country as a safe, friendly and value-for-money destination, all the more reason now to rethink the very short-sighted decision to cut back R160 million from SA Tourism's budget during the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF, period.
No successful business spends R43 billion developing a product - which is what the World Cup cost us - and then dramatically cut back on the budget advertising that product. Provided SA Tourism is allowed to do its job, we can increase our tourist numbers by 10% and generate additional receipts to SA Revenue Service, Sars, of around R6 billion per year.
Given that ratepayers have largely financed the stadiums and ongoing maintenance costs appear to be less than 5% of additional Sars receipts, it seems very unfair that the national fiscus should bank the ongoing World Cup receipts while local ratepayers bear the maintenance costs. The DA, therefore, asks that a conditional grant is made available to applicable local government structures to ensure a fairer distribution of the World Cup dividend.
The World Cup was a great accelerator that delivered much needed infrastructural improvements to our country which will underpin our economic growth for decades to come. Airports, stadiums and roads were built in record time. Residents who had seen widening potholes and broken street lights for years suddenly saw them filled and repaired almost overnight, along with greening and beautification of their cities and suburbs.
Crime plummeted during the World Cup. We also accelerated the building of one nation with one future. The president of Fifa has shown us what we can do under pressure. Now let us carry on doing it for ourselves. I thank you, Deputy Speaker.
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF POLICE
Mr G R KRUMBOCK
The DEPUTY[gs19] MINISTER OF POLICE: Hon Deputy Speaker, hon President, Deputy President, hon members, premiers, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, today, there is a deafening silence on the part of the naysayers when the views they spewed about the inability of Africans to host a successful World Cup came back to bite them. The silence speaks volumes to how the venomous words of pessimism have led them to crawl back into their holes of misdirected, miscalculated and misguided perception on the ability of the African continent to deliver.
We stand here before you this afternoon proud of the fact that we are able to meet here to celebrate the successes of our country in hosting a world-class 2010 Fifa World Cup, a legacy that would live forever. This legacy will indeed sprawl too many generations to come - a legacy epitomised by patriotism and unity of purpose by many South Africans of different colours, creed, class and gender. This is a legacy of a shared dream of changing humanity for a better tomorrow.
Hon Premier of the Western Cape, Helen Zille, your assertion that we have left our people behind is a distortion. For us the 2010 World Cup was not only a great soccer championship, it was a catalytic imperative to transform the faces and facets of this country, a vision to promote real social cohesions, sustained growth, skills formation, job creation, macrosocial inclusions and continental renaissance.
Government made available a budget of R665 million for the procurement of equipment, as well as R640 million for the deployment of members of the SAPS. In sum, around R1,5 billion was invested on the SAPS Fifa World Cup 2010 activities. In the greater totality, this was a real value for money.
In ensuring that we provide a safe and secure World Cup, we had to utilise some of the resources allocated for procuring assets like water cannons, bomb-detection equipment, helicopters, downlinks for helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, highway patrol vehicles, mobile command centres, body armour for public order policing, as well as rebuilding of Nyala armoured vehicles.
We provided security for the heads of state that came for the World Cup opening and finals, as well as those who came during the games stages to offer the support to their teams. We also provided high-risk forces for each host city comprising of the Special Task Force personnel, the National Intelligence Unit detectives, Crime Intelligence Division personnel, Bomb Disposal Unit personnel and other role-players. We also deployed a total of 850 to 1 000 members on special trains on the daily basis.
More than 3 million fans attended the 64 games at the stadia, and more than 1 million attended Fan Fests with remarkable peace and stability. It was said that tourist to the country during the World Cup would be stabbed and, therefore, a company in a certain stabbing capital in Europe designed a stab vest. What a lame disinvestment.
Our people, like the warriors, rose to the occasion ...
Sesotho:
... bana ba thari e ntsho maila ngwathela...
English:[gs20]
... inspired by the spirit of great African warriors, Moshoeshoe, Shaka, Sekhukhune, Cetshwayo and King Sabata Dalindyebo. They, in song and unison, sang...
IsiZulu:[gs21]
... bulalani abathakathi, bulalani abathakathi ...
English[gs22] :
...in defence of the motherland, in defence of mother Africa. They defeated the peddlers of pessimism, the faceless bearers of Plan B and Plan C. South Africa was Plan A, B and C.
Our people proved that the optimism of will and intellect far surpasses the purveyors of despair and disdain; that willpower naturally rebuffs toxic tendencies and antics; and that they will not be captives of apocalyptic clerics.
Martin Luther King, Jr., befittingly captures a denunciation of these kinds of eccentric frolics when he says:
If you succumb to the temptation of negativity, gloom and despair, the unborn generations will be the recipients of a long and desolate night of bitterness, and your chief legacy to the future will be an endless reign of meaningless chaos.
We could not have allowed our people to fall victims to these gloom walkers. Our people, in their millions, rejected this stage-managed despair and dreariness. The spirit of forward ever, backward never imbued the rainbow nation. The ill-bred and the boorish may say we have lost in the field of play, but we say we won the bigger World Cup - unity of our people across the continent and the pride of Africans in the diaspora.
The challenge that we all have to confront now is to build on the momentum and the window of opportunity created by this unparalleled exposure. The zeal and the love showed and displayed by the country during the World Cup was unbelievable. We worked tirelessly to ensure that we don't betray they trust given to us by the South African population.
Africa has a reason to smile; South Africa has a right to walk with its head held high. The success of this World Cup was not only the success of South Africa; it was a success of the entire continent and a blow against peddlers of pessimism who sought to make it their permanent vocation that nothing good will come out of Africa.
As the Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, averred that the successful hosting of the World Cup has instilled a sense of pride in all Africans and must be celebrated. Seeing that the vuvuzela-frenzied spectacle was scored nine out of ten by Fifa President Sepp Blatter, they started spreading rumours that after the World Cup there will be xenophobic attacks against African migrants by the South African public.
The legacy of this Word Cup will live with us forever. South Africa will never be the same again. Our people are united as ever. Criminals have learnt that when we say "Wafa Tsotsi" we mean business. These factors are contributing favourably towards macrosocial stability, investment attraction, economic development and poverty busting.
We pay homage and salute many in our government, the civil society, the international community and President Zuma for his apt stewardship and guidance. We forever remain indebted to former President, Nelson Mandela, for his selfless belief and, above all, the ANC for its vision.
We take our hats off for all our security agencies, as we say in our township lingo...
Sesotho:
... le dinganga...
IsiZulu[gs23] :
... ovuk'abayibambe ngempela ...
English:[gs24]
... you did us proud.
As we conclude we take wisdom and humility from the inscriptions by Stephen Covey, when he says:
There are certain things that are fundamental to human fulfilment. The essence of these needs is captured in the phrase 'to live, to love, to learn, to leave a legacy'. The need to leave a legacy is our spiritual need to have a sense of meaning, purpose, personal congruence, and contribution.
We live this legacy today; we'll live this legacy tomorrow. This journey has just begun.
Sesotho:
Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso!
English[gs25] :
Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Prince M M M ZULU
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF POLICE
IsiZulu:
UMNTWANA[gs26] M M M ZULU: Phini likaSomlomo, Mongameli waseRiphabhulikhi yaseNingizimu Afrika, Mnu Zuma, iPhini lakho ubaba uMotlanthe, abaholi bezombusazwe namaqembu akhona ezombusazwe, ...
English:
I am very sorry and I do not intend to offend anybody by using my mother tongue language – Queen Msweli's language
IsiZulu:
Ngimi phambi kwenu njengesakhamuzi esiziqhenyayo ngobuzwe baso base Ningizimu Afrika. Izwe lase Ningizimu Afrika lizuze okukhulu ukuhlonishwa emazweni omhlaba ngokubamba i-Fifa world cup ebeliyibambile ngenyanga edlule.
Lokho Msholozi kusenze saba nokuziqhenya njengezakhamizi zaleli izwe, ukuba sikwazi ukuphumelela. Ngibonge izinhlaka zokuphepha kuleli izwi ngoba zisebenze ngokukhulu ukuzimisela ukuba zinqande izigebengu nezikelemnqa kuleli izwe. Ngibonga namaqembu ezombusazwe ukuthi leli limo enanilenza la, nihalalisela ukubanjwa kwe-Fifa world cup, ngifisa-ke ukuthi abantu bakaCetshwayo nabo bazuze ukuthimamisa izinhlelo zentuthuko kubantu, nenze njengoba benenza nihlanganiswe i-Fifa world cup.
Akukho okunye esingakunqoba kuleli izwe ngaphandle kokuthi sihlangane njengezakhamuzi zaleli izwe, sime ndawonke senze konke okungenzeka. Ngiyalihalalisela iqembu lethi leBafana Bafana ngoba akekho owayecabanga ukuthi lingase lidlale neMexico kahle, liphinde libhaxabule izwe laseFrance ngalolu hlobo okwenzeka ngayo. Ngibuye futhi ngihalalisele iqembu leBafana Bafana ukuthi kuleli sonto esiphuma kulo ligile izimanga, lashaya iqembu laseGhana.
Kusho ukuthu ngempela leli izwe lethu limile njengezwe okufanele ukuthi thina sizimisele ngalo. Mina njengendodana yasebukhosini bakwaZulu, ngiyanicela ningosombusazwe ukuthi sebenzani noma asisebenzeni ngokubambisana ukuze izwe lakithi liphumelele. Ngiyabonga. [Ihlombe.]
Mr S H PLAATJIE
Prince M M M ZULU
Mr[gs27] S H PLAATJIE: Deputy Speaker and hon President, the awarding of the Soccer World Cup to South Africa was a cause for much celebration across the boundaries of this beloved country and the continent. It was a dream. The successful hosting of the World Cup tournament proved that South Africa can rise to the challenge of hosting world-class events. We could scarcely believe how well we could deliver on all of our undertakings without any default.
The Minister of Finance, hon Gordhan, put it well when he said:
The tournament has undoubtedly boosted the country's standing internationally, showcasing its capability in delivering the world-class infrastructure on time and without imposing a financial burden on national fiscus.
More importantly, the hosting of the Soccer World Cup acted as a catalyst for expanding our infrastructure base and economic growth. I confidently know that the government is putting together a sustainable infrastructure delivery plan that seeks to benefit the people of South Africa and the continent. Let that dream not become a nightmare.
Our people responded to all the calls to wear national colours with pride. Let's continue and be committed to set aside Friday as a soccer day. All of us have the energy to carry forward the kind of fusion magic that Shakira with her Waka Waka song created.
After Bafana Bafana was eliminated from the contest, we heeded the call to fill the stadiums and throw our weight in support of "BaGhana BaGhana". We showed the world that we could become good losers with a positive view on things. We must now be united in using all the lessons and positive outcomes from the World Cup for the betterment of our society. If what is being done by hon Minister of Human Settlements to fight corruption with courage and determination is applied across all levels of government, our nation will have benefited from the World Cup experience.
There is a continuing debate on how to use our stadiums optimally. Cope supports the idea of the stadiums being used for a variety of sporting codes with an infusion of music movement and dance so that the nature of the spectacles attracts people.
Cope further supports the initiative by the Foundation for a Safe South Africa, the 2010 LOC, the Embassy of the Netherlands and the Institute for Democracy in Africa for taking a giant step by creating the Youth Zone Initiative, which combines football, computer literacy and life skills training to create an enabling environment for young people in the disadvantaged communities. Let this dream not become a nightmare.
Finally, I wish to pay tribute to rugby, cricket and other sport stars for showing their support for Bafana Bafana and the World Cup. There was such a degree of largeness of spirit that accorded perfectly with ubuntu, and it made us proud. May that spirit live forever. May all South Africans continue to profess the patriotism they openly displayed so that after the World Cup we can finally succeed in finding ourselves outside the racial enclave and inside the embrace of a common South African nationhood? I thank you. [Applause.]
Mr B M KOMPHELA
Mr S H PLAATJIE
Mr [gs28] B M KOMPHELA: Deputy Speaker, hon President and hon Deputy President, hon premiers, hon members, comrades and friends, and representatives of all host cities that are here today.
Sesotho:
Motlatsa motsamaisi wa dipuisano ya hlomphehang, batho ba rona ba nkopile hore ke fane ka molaetsa ona, letsatsing lena la ho tla keteka mosebetsi ona o matla o entsweng ka hara naha. Motsamaisi wa mosebetsi, batho ba rona ba re, ke re ho Moporesidente: Le sebeditse jwaloka bana ba thari e ntsho, bana ba ho peptjwa ka letlalo la tshepe hore ba tle ba tshepahale. Moporesidente, ba re ha ntate Mandela a ne a nehelana ka lesokwane lena, a lefa ntate Mbeki, ntate Mbeki ha a ka a hana ka lona kapa ho le diha. O ile a le nehela ntate Motlanthe. Ha ntate Motlanthe a le tlohela, o ile a le fetisetsa ho wena Moporesidente, ntate Zuma.
Ena ke ketso e makatsang ka lebaka la hobane hangata ditabeng tse jwalo, monna e mong o diha lesokwana ka boomo e le hobane a le mona, kapa bao a mathang lebelo le bona ba a mo diha e le ho mo sitisa hore ba tle ba kgone ho hlola lebelo leo. Mosebetsi o kang oo, ke mosebetsi o ka etswang ke rona ANC hore re tle re kgone hore re neheletsane ka mosebetsi ona o kgabane hakana. Re se ke ra ba le pelo tse telele hore o batle ho qeta lebelo o le mong. Neheletsa ba bang re tle re tsebe ho qeta lebelo mmoho.
English:
I want to say to hon Lee that for the first time in the history of Fifa and in this country, South Africa, Fifa had to accept that there should be Acts that regulate how Fifa is going to conduct business with our people. There are two pieces of legislation which are 2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa Special Measures Act and the Second 2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa Special Measures Act that we passed together with Donald Lee. We were not afraid of Fifa; Fifa has never dictated to us. What we had is a mutual agreement and we wanted our people on the ground to be able to say that we had a grand occasion where all of us benefitted. I think it is pleasing for our country to have taken that bold step and take care of our people.
On the issue that Cope has raised around Dr Sutcliffe and the president of rugby, Mr Oregan Hoskins, what I can say is that the two gentlemen have two big egos because theirs is not a national matter. It is a provincial matter of KwaZulu-Natal where the two have to meet and discuss how they are going to use the facility that our government said should be a facility for every federation in this country. That is how it is supposed to be. They should not come here and make that a national issue as if there is a crisis around the stadium. There is harmony and agreement.
There are people who came to us and said that they asked them how they intend to use the stadium so that it can be sustainable after the World Cup and 60 years from now? They have presented a plan and told us that the Development Bank of Southern Africa is going to come with a detailed plan which Parliament is going to oversee in making sure these stadiums become a lasting legacy for our people. There is no earthquake; I don't know where this comes from.
Members must go to the committee and engage on these issues vigorously. The ANC is open to engage about these assets. The ANC says that, in our resolutions, we must make sure that the assets and the investment beyond the 2010 Fifa World Cup should be something that the ANC must guard and that our people should benefit from forever and ever. Amen. [Applause.]
Hosting the 2010 Fifa World Cup has helped elevate all Africans to their rightful place. Given a fair chance, these are the fruits of building a democratic government. This is what we have requested all the time, saying: "Give us a fair chance." After we have been given a fair chance, this is what we have delivered to the world and today we are the towers in the world.
After the delivery of a successful 2010 Fifa World Cup, no one will ever again have the courage to argue that Africa is hopeless because Africa has lived up to its undertaking of hosting the 2010 Fifa World Cup. This has been an incredible, exciting and painful journey of 16 years. Hosting the 2010 Fifa World Cup required revolutionary technological advances. It required high speed communication and a new organisational model, leadership, and participatory environment due to the nature and the complexity of the project that this country had.
The journey started in 1994, and we set ourselves targets. We said that we have to build a nation out of this 2010 Fifa World Cup. The President and everybody – nobody had a different view - that we have built the nation out of this. We have built a nonracial society and a country that all our forbearers had aspired to see - a South Africa that has no colour. That is one of the objectives that we had set ourselves.
Increasing tourism in this country is what we have done. The 3,18 million fans who arrived in this country were not lost. They came deliberately to this country to be a part of the celebration of this big moment that South Africa was given by the nations of the world.
The gentleman from the DA said that branding South Africa means a South Africa that is safe, a South Africa that attracts investments, and we have lived up to that expectation. South Africa has been free up until after the World Cup, and everybody is ready to come and invest in South Africa today. That was one of the targets that we had set ourselves.
With regard to building an infrastructure, when we were debating here we said - hon Donald Lee knows that, in fact, he himself said it - after the 2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa will never be the same. South Africa is not the same today because of the dividends that have been yielded by the hosting the 2010 Fifa World Cup for the people of this country. Infrastructure, roads; everything is up to standard. [Applause.]
We said the delivery of major events in our country would help to build a kind of South Africa that we wanted to see - a nonracial, nonsexist and a democratic South Africa. Africans united in their diversity. We created unity by bringing the people together and engaging them in a project that all will feel part of, and that is what has happened. Even though Kimberley was not a host city, through the SABC programme, Morning Live, it became part became part of this grand occasion and celebrated. Everybody in the world saw that the World Cup also touched those who were not necessarily the host cities. That is what we have done.
We wanted to draw tourists into this country and thus far we have drawn 10 million tourists, which was our target for 2010. Our target is 15 million tourists for 2015. We are going to reach that target against all odds. We wanted to show a South Africa that is well placed for investments, trade, business, as well as a growing economy and great job opportunities.
We wanted to build an infrastructure to generate investment. We had strict deadlines that we had to meet, and our people who were constructors understood that we have a project. It was not because Fifa dictated, but it was because we had a timeframe and had promised the world that we would be able to meet the targets.
One of the things that happened in this country, which never happened in the history of the Fifa World Cup, is the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. Twelve months before the World Cup, that stadium was completed despite the people from Iraq who were saying that the roof was going to fall into the sea, and that it was likely that it was not going to be completed in time. They completed the stadium a year before the 2010 Fifa World Cup. It was a record and when the inspection was done for the last time, they said that the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium was ready. Unfortunately, it could not get the African Cup of Nations.
Hon Deputy Speaker and hon President, the world has shown that being an African and being world-class are synonymous. You can't be an African and not be world-class because the two go together, and that is what we are today to the world. [Applause.]
During the 2010 Fifa World Cup, we received 12 million internet visitors per minute. We had more than 16 000 broadcasters, journalists and photographers. One hundred days before the 2010 Fifa World Cup, we toured the length and breadth of this country with 300 international journalists. South Africa would come to the stadium and say: "Get into the stadium and see what you wanted to know." The climax was in Durban when we met with the Deputy President. On that historic conference day, one of the African journalists asked the Deputy President whether what has been happening to South Africa – that of being under such heavy media scrutiny – is going to happen to other countries that are going to host World Cups subsequent to 2010. Jerome Valcke and Sepp Blatter responded by saying that South Africa has set a precedent. They further said that it would not be fair to subject South Africa to such heavy scrutiny to open its doors - something which South Africa complied with - and not apply the same to other countries. What is it that could have been wrong with South Africa and right with other countries? So, that is going to be the pattern throughout the world.
One hundred days before the Fifa World Cup, journalists will be called to see how ready that country is. We were ready, and nobody had a doubt. Thank you very much. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Debate concluded.
The Joint Sitting rose at 16:59.
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