The four-year journey to the 2010 Fifa World Cup kicked off with "the biggest football party ever" at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate on Friday.
As the responsibility for hosting the world's biggest sporting event was officially handed over to South Africa, a free concert featuring some of Africa's brightest musical stars got football fans dancing in the German capital.
Africa comes to Berlin
South African musicians Vusi Mahlasela and Freshlyground and African stars Youssou N'Dour and Angélique Kidjo joined German acts Xavier Naidoo, Wir sind Helden and Die Fantastischen Vier, South American star Ivete Sangalo and others at Fifa's "Football for a Better World: From Germany to South Africa" show.
The official emblem of the 2010 Fifa World Cup was unveiled by a delegation including Fifa President Sepp Blatter, South African President Thabo Mbeki, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and 2006 Organising Committee president Franz Beckenbauer.
Former South African president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela also addressed the show audience in Berlin - and millions of television viewers watching the broadcast in over 120 countries - with a message relayed by video from South Africa.
We'll keep our promise: Mbeki
Speaking at Friday's event, President Mbeki has assured the world that the 2010 World Cup would be out of the ordinary, saying South Africa would stun the world with its friendliness and unique culture.
Comparing hosting the event successfully with bringing an end to apartheid, Mbeki said: "Some people didn't believe us - but we kept that promise."
"Africa is ready, Africa's time has come," Mbeki said, urging football fans to seize the opportunity to spread "human solidarity" as Africa emerged from "many, many centuries of great difficulty."
Win in Africa with Africa
Fifa president Sepp Blatter said the world trusted South Africa to deliver a world-class event, adding that 2010 would be "justice for African football, but also justice for Africa - for all the women and the men of this continent."
In 2004, Fifa announced its vision to "develop the game, touch the world, build a better future". The first project to follow from this, "Win in Africa with Africa" - which is also the slogan for the 2010 Fifa World Cup - aims to ensure that the entire continent benefits from the event in South Africa.
Friday's concert also highlighted Fifa's "6 Villages for 2006" charity campaign, which aims to fund the construction of six new SOS Children's Villages in Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, Ukraine and Vietnam, offering a new home to at least 800 children in need.
SouthAfrica.info reporter
South Africa soon
will be the top seaside
golfing destination,
Nicklaus says
23 December 2005
When the residents of the South African seaside village of George started repainting their houses in anticipation of the 2003 Presidents Cup coming to their Western Cape town, there was a definite sense of how valuable the event would be for this region known as the Garden Route.
But not even the sharpest marketing campaign could have matched United States team captain, Jack Nicklaus', ringing endorsement of South Africa's Garden Route as one of the world's premier golfing destinations when he boldly declared, "Frankly, I think that 50 years from now, some of the best seaside golf in the world will be right here."
Gary Player backed this up when he added, "What you (America) have on 17 Mile Drive, we have 1,000 miles of that!"
"It's the nearest thing to heaven," said Ernie Els, who has a home at Herold's Bay just outside George, and which is also the site for the world No. 3's first golf course in South Africa, Oubaai.
Even Tiger Woods chose the region, in particular the Shamwari Game Reserve, to propose to his girlfriend Elin Nordegren after the Presidents Cup and against the backdrop of an African sunset.
South Africa's Garden Route, which winds its way along the coastline from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth in the shadow of the Outeniqua Mountain range, has long been renowned for its rugged beauty, offering spectacular mountain and ocean vistas and a wealth of fauna and flora.
"I promise you, this South African coast isn't shabby," said Nicklaus, who already has designed three courses in Africa. "It's pretty neat. I've flown a helicopter up and down this coastline for 10 years now, and I just see golf course after golf course after golf course that could be done here. A lot of them will be done and are being done.
"It's just like the Sand Belt in the Melbourne area, where they've done a lot of wonderful golf courses. But here you've got virgin territory to be able to do some of the things you want to do. Environmentally you have to make sure that what we are doing is the right thing to do. But there's unbelievable land for it. Unbelievable."
- Michael Vlismas,
Staff Writer, Golf Publisher Syndications
SA tops World Travel Awards
20 December 2005
South Africa is the best holiday destination in Africa - and it's official. At the 2005 World Travel Awards ceremony in London in November, the country's airline, hotels, airports and more walked off with 16 of the 17 prize categories for the continent of Africa.
And the Saxon Hotel in Johannesburg, Shamwari and Bushman Sands game reserves in the Eastern Cape and Rovos Rail were voted the best in the world in their categories.
To determine the awards, some 156 000 travel agencies and professionals in over 140 countries vote over the internet for their leading travel destinations, airlines, hotels, personalities and companies around the world.
For the second year in a row the Saxon was voted World's Leading Boutique Hotel, beating Le Soleil Hotel and Suites in Vancouver, the Sunset Marquis Hotel and Villas in California, Australia's Royce Hotel, the Metropolitan of London and the Delano in Miami.
Shamwari Game Reserve came out tops in the awards for the eighth consecutive year, winning two global awards: the world's leading conservation company and the world's leading safari and game reserve. The reserve was also voted Africa's leading safari.
The world's leading responsible tourism project went to Bushman Sands in the Eastern Cape, while South Africa's Rovos Rail company was voted the world's leading luxury train and Africa's leading safari train.
In the Africa section, both South African Airways and the Sun City complex in North West province won three awards. Other African winners were the Mount Nelson Hotel, Protea Hotels, and Fancourt Hotel and Country Club.
- SouthAfrica.info reporter.
IMF: high praise for SA economy
19 September 2005
In its 2005 annual country assessment, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has given a firm thumbs-up to South Africa's economic policies, which it says have resulted in strong growth, low inflation, good fiscal policy management and a marked increase in foreign reserves.
Under Article IV of the IMF's Articles of Agreement, the fund has discussions with members every year. An IMF team visits the country, collects economic and financial information, discusses the country's economic developments and policies with officials and prepares a report.
The IMF's latest report on South Africa, released on Thursday, commends the country's authorities for the remarkable economic progress achieved since democracy in 1994.
"The economy is now growing strongly, inflation has been lowered and has become more predictable, public finances have been strengthened, and the external position has improved markedly," the IMF said. "The expansion in economic activity has created additional jobs.
"Given South Africa's position in the region, the country's strong economic performance has benefited the rest of Africa."
The fund described the short-term economic outlook as favourable. Robust growth is expected from low interest rates, a moderately expansionist fiscal policy and healthy growth in the world economy.
The IMF directors did note that serious economic challenges remain: persistent high unemployment, poverty, large wealth disparities and a high incidence of HIV/Aids.
But they came out in support of the SA authorities' approach to these problems, with policies aimed at raising economic growth in a stable economic environment and initiatives to reduce unemployment and improve social conditions.
The IMF said this strategy could be bolstered by labour market reforms and further trade liberalisation.
- SouthAfrica.info reporter.
Britons rate Cape Town tops
19 October 2004
Cape Town has added to its growing collection of international tourism accolades, being voted the best foreign city in the UK's 2004 Telegraph Travel Awards, and the best city in the world for eating out in - and the second best destination overall - in a recent poll of British Airways staff.
The Daily Telegraph, Britain's best-selling daily newspaper, has conducted a travel poll amongst its readers for the past seven years. According to travel editor Graham Boynton, the awards are based on "the genuine opinions and experiences of the UK's most affluent travellers and holidaymakers."
In the Telegraph's top city spot, Cape Town relegated Sydney and Venice to second and third place respectively.
South Africa placed third in the favourite holiday destination category, where the popularity of the film "Lord of the Rings" saw New Zealand knocking Italy off the perch it has sat on for four years.
And in a poll of British Airways staff - among the "most well-travelled employees on the planet" - published in the September edition of the airline's onboard magazine Highlife, Cape Town was rated the best city for eating out, pipping New York, Sydney, London and Paris to the post.
Cape Town also scored highly in the best view category, with Table Mountain coming second after Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro and ahead of the Great Wall of China.
South Africa was the only country to feature in the top five best overall destinations, placing fifth after Sydney, Cape Town, New York and Dubai.
Speaking ahead of the unveiling of Cape Town and the Western Cape's new destination brand identity this week, Destination Marketing Organisation chief Noki Dube said that winning international awards was "proof that our city has what it takes to compete with the best and win".
Dube added, however, that to be a real winner on the global tourism stage, a city had to "pay homage to the tourism troika - physical attraction, people and value.
"Obviously, Cape Town's physical beauty is a huge drawcard, and we need to preserve our natural heritage, working closely with environmental organisations and other interested stakeholders", Dube said.
"But this involves more than simply keeping our city and beaches clean. We need to ensure that all areas of this city are able to put their best face forward by giving disadvantaged areas the makeovers they need to attract tourists too.
"Capetonians have always been singled out by foreign tourists for their friendliness", Dube said. "We must capitalise on this natural friendliness by reinforcing tourism awareness and civic pride.
"We must also continue to offer value propositions to our visitors. By doing this we will remain unbeatable."
