Mbeki slams ACDP‘s Meshoe on World Cup remarks
Cape Town – In an angry response to the debate on his State of the Nation address, President Thabo Mbeki lashed out at ACDP leader Kenneth Meshoe yesterday for suggesting that the 2010 Soccer World Cup could be taken away from South Africa if it did not address the high rate of crime.
Accusing Meshoe of being motivated by “measly partisan reasons”, Mbeki said it alarmed him greatly that Meshoe could have said the “the privilege of hosting the prestigious World Cup might slip through our fingers, despite the many assurances we have received from Fifa president Sepp Blatter, who is a friend, admirer and supporter of South Africa.”
Mbeki said Blatter was “a principled fighter for the restoration of the dignity of the African people universally.
“Regarding the incidence of violent crime in our country and its relevance to the World Cup, Blatter would say he knows the people of South Africa would host the world of football in safe conditions.”
Mbeki said Blatter would say that having considered the report of its technical committee, which assessed the various bids to host the 2010 tournament and which drew attention to the challenge of safety and security in our country, “the executive committee of Fifa decided, deliberately and consciously, that our country should host the World Cup”.
He said Blatter would also say he had been greatly encouraged by remarks emanating from our country that the World Cup “will not slip through the fingers of the people of South Africa. It will take place in South Africa. It will be a resounding success.”
When Blatter stood at the Fifa podium in Zurich, Switzerland, and pulled out the card that read “South Africa”, the people of South Africa, of all races, the continent, the African Diaspora, the friends of Africa throughout the world, , “took to the streets in a spontaneous display of joy”.
He said for “measly partisan reasons” Meshoe now believed, quite wrongly, “that he can convince Fifa and the football world that these millions did not mean it when they confirmed through their celebrations that they are determined to ensure that the 2010 World Cup will be the best ever.
“Whatever our problems, our nation shares the resolve to make the 2010 World Cup the best ever. This common resolve communicates the unequivocal message that regardless of our fractured past, and despite the reality of the stubborn persistence of the legacy of that past, we are indeed capable of arriving at a national consensus about how to respond to our most important challenges, about what we need to do to identify and act in unity to advance that which we will have agreed constitutes the national interest.”
Article from http://www.theherald.co.za/Stop "slamming" the concerned people, and do something about the problem!
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Labels: South Africa - crime
