Speech by Mr. Kaya Somgqeza on the occasion of the final draw of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, 4 December 2009, Sheraton, Algiers, Algeria.

Your Excellency, the Minister of Youth and Sports of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, Mr. El Hachemi DJIAR

Members of the Diplomatic Corps

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

It is an honour for me on behalf of the Government and the people of South Africa to welcome you on this auspicious occasion of the long-awaited 2010 FIFA World Cup Final Draw. This draw, will provide definitive information on where the teams are based; finalisation of the logistical arrangements for accommodation and transportation of teams and fans around the various host cities including the estimated 450 000 ticket holders who will come to South Africa. The draw is also the first impression around the world; it will be shared by the millions of people who will be following it via the media as we will today!

Programme Director, before I proceed any further, please allow me to firstly acknowledge and express my sincere gratitude to the co-sponsors of this event namely the Algerian Football Federation and Wataniya Telecom Algeria (Nedjma) for making this important event for the African continent in particular a possibility. It is in this context that we have themed today’s event ‘In honour of the Giants of African Football’ in recognition of the six great nations who will represent our continent at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. I am specifically referring to Algeria; Cameroon; Cote d’Ivoire; Ghana; Nigeria and of course South Africa who complete the sestet as hosts of the event. We remain firm in the conviction that these Giants of African Football will do our continent proud and will give their all to ensure that the World Cup remains in Africa!

You will recall Ladies and Gentlemen that from the beginning of the bid process, South Africa committed that the 2010 World Cup would be an African World Cup. This is an opportunity to build African solidarity and to foster a climate that contributes to African growth and development. As the current FIFA President, Joseph Sepp Blatter, correctly pointed out “the enthusiasm in South Africa is phenomena, l am absolutely convinced that, all together, we will deliver the best FIFA World Cup ever because it will be played in Africa.

Furthermore, in the declaration of the Eighth Assembly of the African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government, the AU reaffirmed its pledge to make 2010 a truly African tournament, committing its countries to “full and substantive involvement in the preparation leading to the 2010 World Cup”.

As we gather here today Ladies and Gentlemen, it is important to note that this milestone also serves both as a celebration for the 32 teams that will participate in the FIFA 2010 World Cup and as an important test on the state of readiness for the tournament. South Africa is proud to welcome the FIFA family and the 32 teams that are scheduled to participate in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in June and July 2010. Let us together sustain our tireless efforts that have brought us to this point!

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is important to note that virtually all the projects and plans for the 2010 World Cup are completed or nearing completion-from stadia, transport infrastructure, security measures, issues of accommodation, to health and most importantly immigration plans-confirming the confidence of the global soccer fraternity that the 2010 World Cup will be a truly successful tournament.

In this regard, the South African Government assures the millions of fans who will be coming to watch the 2010 World Cup that they will be safe in South Africa. There are a number of prongs to South Africa’s safety and security plan

• there will be a focus on border security at ports of entry – including South Africa’s land, sea and air borders

• route security, specifically those leading from airports into the cities, will be a priority

• police are to divide the host cities into sections, with teams patrolling sections and focusing on FIFA headquarters, hotels, other accommodation establishments, the stadiums, fan parks, restaurants and tourist venues

• State-of-the-art information and communication military technology will be used as well as a fleet of nearly 40 helicopters
• a dedicated force of 41 000 officers will be deployed

The South African Police Service (SAPS) is on a massive recruitment drive to increase general police numbers by 55 000 to over 190 000 by 2009. The number of police reservists will also double before the FIFA World Cup, from 45 000 members to 100 000.

South Africa will have dedicated 2010 police stations within close proximity to each of the stadiums, as well as dedicated crime-investigation teams and special courts to investigate and deal with all event-related crimes 24/7.

Ladies and gentlemen, in order to ensure a fair and transparent allocation of tickets, the procedure for ticket allocation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa has been divided into five phases. These phases are intended to allow periods when tickets are allocated based on random selection draws and periods when tickets are allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. This system was designed to address the fact that demand for tickets to many matches will exceed ticket supply, and to provide as many fans as possible with tickets. The final sales phase for the tickets concludes on 11 July 2010.

South Africa will issue the first ever Event Visa for an international event in support of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The Event Visa will be issued free of charge to visitors to South Africa in 2010.

The minimum requirements for the issuing of the Event Visa will be:

Proof of purchase of the match tickets;
A valid return air ticket;
A valid passport;
Meeting of certain health requirements

The South African Government is committed to making the event “the best World Cup ever”, and will deliver on all the commitments to FIFA. Our nation will host the FIFA World Cup with flair and efficiency to ensure that we are recognised as a county of choice beyond the tournament.

At this juncture we will like to divert your attention and draw you towards our main surprise for the evening….Ladies and gentlemen, the South African Embassy in Algeria is proud to inform you that we will this evening launch our Website. The launch of the Website comes at critical juncture whereby there is a thirst for information within the broader Algerian public about South African in general and the 2010 FIFA World Cup in particular.

We therefore hope that this website will assist in answering your questions about the World Cup especially those Algerian fans who intend to go to South Africa to support ‘the Greens’ as the Algerian football team is fondly known to its faithful. It is also the intention of the Website to give you an expose of the various activities that the South African Embassy will engage in within Algeria. The Website will serve as gateway to the South African government and its institutions for those wanting more information on South Africa and an in-depth view of the various programmes of the South African government.

It is in this context ladies and gentlemen that I invite you to join me as I present our Website to you for the first time on www.saealgiers.com (upon the appearance of the homepage, the ribbon is cut).

KE NAKO: AFRICA’S TIME HAS COME!

I thank you!