Laduma!
South Africa: football festival has started
Hardly any sport is as universal and unifying as football. On virtually every continent, the game is one of the most popular sports, with enthusiastic fans from all age groups and strata of the population, with great emotions and stories. In 2010, the World Cup is celebrated for the first time in Africa: Since 11 June, South Africa hosts the tournament with participating teams from 32 countries. DEG has been represented in the country with an office since 1994. The staff in Johannesburg has great hopes connected with the World Cup for their country.
Besides 13 European teams, six teams from Africa, five from South America, four from Asia, three from Central or North America and one team from Oceania have qualified for the tournament. The matches will take place in nine cities: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Rustenburg and Nelspruit, in Polokwane, Bloemfontain, Durban, Kapstadt and Port Elizabeth.
On June 11, the World Cup started with the opening match in Johannesburg, when the “Bafana Bafana” competed with Mexico. With a ball named Jabulani – “celebrating” – whose eleven colours symbolise the eleven languages and tribes of South Africa and the players of one football team.
Also at the DEG Office in Johannesburg, the tension is increasing:
The team in South Africa: Kimmy Moodley, Zubair Suliman, Sandra Sabrowsky, Jenny Hill, Thomas Dirda (KfW IPEX-Bank), Lynette le Roux and Office Director Michael Fischer (from left to right)
Lynette le Roux: “I am incredibly excited about another Madiba dream coming alive. I am hoping that hosting the soccer world cup will unite all South Africans like the 1995 rugby world cup did! And afterwards we will have beautiful highways and roads and memories to last a life time.”
Zubair Suliman: "It is amazing being in SA and hosting the FIFA World Cup 2010. The hype is picking up and the critical press from Europe has only inspired everyone to support it more. The stadiums are nothing short of incredible with 'Soccer City' in Johannesburg, nicknamed the 'Calabash', being the largest ever built for a FIFA World Cup finals tournament. Some of the stadiums were actually designed by German architects giving them a special dimension. Due to our diverse cultures, we have various sports crazy supporters and communities, so expect huge following for SA, Brazil, Italy, Portugal, Germany and Spain. The time has come and we will stage an unbelievable tournament with a truly African touch."
Michael Fischer: “All over the country you can feel the “fever“ of the games three months before the start. The stadiums have been finished, the last construction measures are on their way and, of course, we all hope for “Bafana Bafana” to win the opening match and to reach at least the second round. The tournament is an opportunity for the country to show for one month that South Africa can compete in all areas. Particularly the expansion of the infrastructure, not least thanks to the World Cup, will give the country long-term growth impulses as well. South Africa with its cultural diversity will be at its best and is ready to welcome the football fans from all over the world.”
Host Republic of South Africa: an overview
| Name: | Republic of South Africa |
|---|---|
| Form of government: | Parliamentary democracy |
| Area: | 1,219,912 km² |
| Population: | 49 million residents |
| Capital: | Pretoria |
| 11 languages: | isi Zulu, isi Xhosa, Afrikaans, sePedi, English, seTswana, seSotho, xiTsonga, siSwati, tshiVenda, isi Ndebele |
| National holiday: | 27 April (anniversary of first free elections 1994 after apartheid) |
| Most popular sports: | Football, rugby (South Africa is the acting world champion), cricket |
| National dishes: | Bobotie (casserole with minced meat, curry and chutney), Braai (South African type of barbecue) |
| Gross domestic product per capita: | USD 5,916 (2007) |
| Imports from Germany: | EUR 11.7 billion (2008) |
| Exports to Germany: | EUR 8.2 billion (2008) |
Further information
