Govt guarantees for 2013 Afcon finalised

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Addressing reporters at a media briefing in Pretoria, Moemi said all relevant government departments will have to sign on their deliverables, as expected in the agreement signed between the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the South African Football Association (Safa).

According to Moemi, a signing ceremony will be hosted before the Afcon final draw in October, which will be a demonstration of government's commitment to making the 2013 Afcon championships a success.

He said National Treasury had facilitated a budget alignment process for the official host cities.

However, the finalisation of national departments and 2013 Afcon Local Organising Committee (LOC) budgets were expected by end of July, which would allow for all stakeholders involved to focus on their plans and preparations for the tournament that will commence in January next year.

Moemi also announced that his department, working with the Department of Basic Education, will launch a schools competition for the design of the sport mascot.

"This mascot will remain an asset of the Department of Sport which will be used in future national and international sport tournaments and championships," he said.

The Afcon LOC has completed three stages of venue inspections, training sites and the venue for the final draw, which will take place in October in Durban.

He said they were currently aligning the event logo, look and feel for the host cities to their event identity, and this will be unveiled in due course.

In May this year, Cabinet announced its support for the 2013 Afcon championship and in this regard planning for the tournament has started in earnest, according to Moemi.

Government structures and committees have been established to support the preparations for the successful hosting of the event, which includes the establishment of the Inter-Ministerial Committee and the appointment of the Afcon LOC Board.

Both the Inter-Ministerial Committee and the LOC Board are tasked with providing oversight, strategic support, planning and implementation of Government Guarantees.

The LOC Board comprises 23 Safa members, seven ministers who are members of the Inter-Ministerial Committee and seven representatives from business and civil society.