Date: 12/07/2010
Source: The Presidency
Title: SA: Zuma: Address by the President of South Africa, marking the end of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Johannesburg

Deputy President of the Republic, Honourable Kgalema Motlanthe,
Ministers and Deputy Ministers,
South African football fraternity,
Our hosts, SABC management and all media,
Fellow South Africans and the world!
Let me start by congratulating Spain on their magnificent
victory last night! It marked the end of a very exciting and
vibrant tournament.
Ladies and gentlemen,

It feels really good to stand here before you today and proudly
say - we did it!

It is an emotional moment for this 16 year old nation which has
only recently emerged from the horrors of apartheid.

We have been able to show the world that we have what it takes
to compete with the best, united in our diversity.

It truly is an emotional moment for a nation that had doomsayers
warning football fans to avoid coming to South Africa.

The world had been told to expect high levels of crime,
unfinished stadiums and other infrastructure as well as lack of
accommodation.

They came and discovered that we are a winning nation of very
humble, hospitable people. They learned too that we are very
efficient organizers and planners.

We did it. We did it well, we did it successfully but we did not
do it alone. We did it with Africa and with the support of the
world.

Today we are so happy to be able to say thank you to everyone
who made this glorious African moment possible.

We thank FIFA, under the leadership of President Sepp Blatter,
for the confidence shown in our country and people over the past
six years.

Our hosting of this historic first FIFA World Cup on African
soil vindicates Mr Blatter's strong conviction that we were capable
of delivering a spectacular and successful event.

We thank the Inter-Ministerial Committee on the World Cup
chaired by the Deputy President of the Republic.

We congratulate the 2010 FIFA World Cup Local Organising
Committee and the entire football fraternity for their sterling
work and professionalism which has put this country on the world
map.

We thank the thousands of public servants and volunteers who
made sure that the experience of our visitors and football fans in
general was safe and efficient.

They demonstrated that our service is professional, efficient,
innovative and deserving of international respect.

While all public servants played their part exceptionally well,
we single out the security establishment for proving to the world
that we mean business when it comes to maintaining law and order.

We thank our private sector for working with us to provide the
infrastructure and services that made this a world class event.

Fellow South Africans and people of the world,

There are certain things that you cannot buy or create. Key
amongst these for us - is the humanity, friendliness and warmth of
the South African people. South Africans are the true stars of this
tournament.

We particularly commend South Africans for embracing each other,
making the tournament a powerful nation building tool.

We were inspired by the explosion of national pride that
accompanied this event. Our people put all their energy into
promoting this tournament and support for the national squad,
Bafana Bafana.

The Football Friday campaign became highly successful. South
Africans from all walks of life proudly wore national colours every
Friday. It was a meaningful collective experience of a lifetime.

Government is working on a programme to thank South Africans and
to harness this spirit of a common nationhood and social cohesion.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The real champions of the tournament have been the visitors and
football fans from Africa and all over the world. They displayed
amazing levels of energy and commitment.

They filled the stadiums and fan parks to watch all 64 matches,
braving the icy cold June and July weather, and brightened up our
landscape with their national colours.

This has been the start of a lifelong friendship. We invite all
our visitors to return soon to explore South Africa further. This
is your home.

Ladies and gentlemen,

FIFA says that football is more than just a game and we agree.
The cross-pollination of cultures and practices that we have seen
in this tournament will be a lasting legacy of the 2010 FIFA Soccer
World Cup.

The international fans embraced the vuvuzela and the makarapa
as accessories for any football match.

To their surprise, South Africans discovered that visiting fans
could actually blow the vuvuzelas louder than they could. I am
informed that the vuvuzela is now competing with our famous wines
as take-home gifts for our visitors.

While the world embraced the vuvuzelas, Africans discovered Paul
the Octopus! We were later introduced to Pauline the female
octopus. We will not delve into their activities as it opens up
wounds for many soccer teams and fans.

Ladies and gentlemen,

We thank all the players, coaches and technical teams behind
them. Without them there would have been no tournament.

We were witnesses to the joy and pain, anger and excitement in a
tournament that was an emotional rollercoaster. At the end of each
match, football and friendship were always the winners. We salute
all the 32 teams that participated in this tournament.
Ladies and gentlemen,

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Africa for unwavering
support.

African Heads of State and Government made time to attend the
opening and closing ceremonies and made this a true African World
Cup.

We thank the world leaders who also took time to visit our
country to support their teams, making this a truly global event.

We appreciate the global support for the Education for all
Campaign and our education summit, as a legacy of this World Cup.

We will work with world leaders in every forum in Africa and the
world, to promote the achievement of the Millennium Development
Goals, especially those on education. This we must do to celebrate
the legacy of this very first African FIFA Soccer World.

We thank the entertainers from all over the world that showed
that indeed culture and music are intertwined.

We reserve our deepest gratitude to our founding President, His
Excellency Nelson Mandela, for his leadership and vision - in the
years during apartheid and in the first years of our democracy.

He laid the foundation that we are building on today. South
Africans have given him the best 92nd birthday ever in the manner
in which they hosted this tournament.

We look forward to the birthday celebrations on the 18th of July
in Qunu.

Fellow South Africans,

On behalf of the nation let me extend our appreciation to the
international media for showing as much interest as they have, not
just in the tournament, but in our country in general.

The spotlight on our country will, in the final analysis, leave
people around the world with a better understanding of a country
that is continuously changing for the better.

They will now be able to dismiss exaggerations and stereotypes
as they know South Africa better because of your work.

Ladies and gentlemen,

South Africa has gained a lot from this World Cup. As Government
-working with the private sector in South Africa and abroad - we
have gained considerable project management expertise.

This ability will enable us to deal with the ongoing priorities
of creating jobs, improving education and providing health
services.

In preparing for this event, Government did not place itself in
a position of having to choose between pressing socio-economic
priorities and a successful FIFA World Cup.

The World Cup did not compromise the focus or the funding that
we have maintained since 1994 on improving the health, safety,
education and economic wellbeing of our people.

Bringing this event to the country compelled us to fast-track
certain aspects of the country's development.

We are sure that the investments we have made will contribute to
increased tourism, trade and investment. This will ultimately
create the opportunities and bring in the revenue for us to address
social challenges.

We are confident we will be able to celebrate many more such
milestones in the period ahead.

Ladies and gentlemen, fellow South Africans,

After six years of preparation and more than 96 hours of
football, we are looking forward to decades of positive interest
among South Africans and people all over the world in the future
prospects of this country and Continent.

As we draw the curtain on the 2010 FIFA World Cup, we now turn
our focus to the fortunes of the nation's Springbok Rugby Team in
the Tri-Nations Series.

Let me remind South Africans that we are the reigning
Tri-Nations and Rugby World Champions. Therefore, do not pack away
those rainbow nation flags just yet. National duty still calls.

We call upon South Africans from Soweto to Springbok to join the
large number of international visitors who will again be in our
country for the home matches of this important series. Our people
will surely miss the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and the new friends and
the contacts that they have made during this month.

We are sad that it has ended, but we are smiling because it went
so well.

Yesterday was the Final. But it was definitely not the end.

It was the beginning of a better future for South Africa and
Africa.

I Thank you.