Pretoria - The 2010 FIFA World Cup allowed all South Africans, regardless of race, to be united in support of Bafana Bafana and to enjoy football throughout the tournament, says outgoing Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe.
In his oral reply to questions in the National Council of Provinces on Wednesday, the Deputy President said the creation of fan parks was a significant contributory factor in enhancing social cohesion that allowed South Africans of different backgrounds to interact with one another.
Furthermore, the increased sense of safety during the 2010 FIFA World Cup facilitated socialising and mixing across racial and social boundaries.
“The hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup by South Africa was, from the onset, understood to be on behalf of the whole African continent and the tournament was set to be an African World Cup, partly aimed at integrating aspects of continental development programmes as well as legacy initiatives,” he said.
Deputy President Motlanthe said the completion of stadia on time helped dispel negative stereotypes about the African continent within the global community and enhanced national pride.
He said the World Cup served to mobilise the nation to instil a sense of patriotism and to unite Africa, adding that various sporting and peace initiatives that were undertaken in the continent, as part of the World Cup, did much to contribute to development and national unity.
Anti-poverty programme
The Deputy President said the Anti-Poverty Programme that he championed adopted targets places that need it the most.
“The programme identifies beneficiaries who ought to access services but are not. In order to achieve this, the methodology used is through the profiling of households in identified wards.
“To this end, the programme facilitates the identification of priority wards where beneficiaries are most in need of services. These services vary in nature depending on the identified needs such as skills development, education and training, career-pathing,” he said.
At a household level, the programme aims to consolidate the provision of services to achieve maximum impact, including providing relevant information as well as facilitating access to services.
HIV and Aids
The Deputy President said the national antiretroviral programme is accessible to all those who are eligible for treatment, irrespective of their country of origin.
“Each of the countries in the region conducts their own treatment programmes and thus there are no partnerships.
“However, countries share information and best practice through established institutions such as the WHO-AFRO, the African Union and the United Nations,” he said.
He further said the South African National AIDS Council has not discussed issues related to intellectual property as the Department of Trade and Industry is seized with such matters.
Foreign investment
According to the Deputy President, government remains engaged with key stakeholders on matters that affect perceptions of South Africa as a favourable investment destination, especially in mining and minerals development.
“We consider our engagements with the investment communities in the United Kingdom and Canada as having yielded the desired results as they now have a deeper appreciation for the South African challenges in the sector, but also an awareness of the opportunities that lie ahead,” he said. - SAnews.gov.za
