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Zuma declares Cape Town his "favourite"
Zuma bowled over by Cape's World Cup class
By Clayton Barnes
2010 Writer
Cape Town has got the presidential stamp of approval as South Africa's best World Cup host city, with President Jacob Zuma describing it today as his "favourite".
Zuma was not alone in his praise for the city's World Cup campaign: SA Football Association president Kirsten Nematandani, who attended his first match in the city on Tuesday night, said the atmosphere had been "electric" and "magic".
And there's a very good chance Bafana Bafana will soon play at Cape Town Stadium, says Nematandani.
Zuma attended two of the eight World Cup matches in the city and even tested what Fifa described as South Africa's best pitch, when he jogged on to the field before the quarter-final on Saturday to take part in an exhibition game.
On Tuesday night, Zuma and Fifa boss Sepp Blatter chatted in the stadium's VIP suite as they watched the Netherlands claim a spot in the World Cup final.
After the match, Zuma gave Cape Town an unequivocal thumbs-up for its "thorough" planning.
Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said Zuma had thoroughly enjoyed playing and watching soccer in Cape Town.
"Cape Town has been the president's favourite," said Magwena. "The city has really put on a show. Heads of state who have accompanied the president have also been very pleased.
"The president was impressed by the way in which Cape Town prepared for and managed the tournament."
Nematandani said: "I don't know how Cape Town managed to do this. It was magic. I saw a lot of Capetonians wearing orange. Cape Town truly got into the World Cup spirit. There's just one word to describe it: 'fantastic'!"
Nematandani said Bafana Bafana would play a friendly in Cape Town soon to thank South Africans for their support during the tournament.
While the World Cup might be over for Cape Town, the city has benefited from billions of rands worth of international publicity and world-class infrastructure - and left doomsayers eating their words.
Gillian Saunders, from research company Grant Thornton, said the tournament had been a perfect marketing opportunity to show the world that Cape Town and South Africa could deliver any major sporting event.
"The World Cup definitely improved Cape Town's profile," said Saunders. "It was a great tourism marketing opportunity for the country. It's events like these that grow business and event tourism."
The economic spin-off had been phenomenal, said Mansoor Mohamed, the city's economic, social development and tourism executive director.
He said an estimated R11 billion would be pumped into the local economy as result of the tournament.
"The World Cup has definitely had an impact on the way people spend," he said. "We didn't only have tourists spending, but locals also supported their teams, they celebrated in the city and spent a lot of money along the Fan Walk."
The most positive impact, said Mohamed, was the perception change.
"People now see Cape Town as a world-class destination," he said. "We are the real winners. This event was the best destination marketing tool."
Finance, Economic Development and Tourism MEC Alan Winde said the biggest factors that had previously affected international travel to Cape Town were perceptions about safety and cost.
"The World Cup gave us the platform to overturn our reputation from a no-go zone to a must-go zone," said Winde.
The World Cup has resulted in a R14.5bn infrastructural development boost for Cape Town.
The provincial transport department spent more than R1bn on new roads and upgrades, while R1.5bn was spent on the new multi-storey terminal at the Cape Town International Airport.
The once run-down Cape Town station was also upgraded to the tune of R480-million.
New lodges, restaurants and hotels - such as the One and Only at the Waterfront, The Taj in Adderley Street, 15 on Orange and The Coral International in Wale Street - have also been built.
Fans used the city's Fan Walk for the last time on Tuesday night. About 500 000 fans have used the walk to and from the stadium since the start of the tournament, while 450 000 fans have visited the Grand Parade for the Fan Fest since June 11.
"All I can say is a big 'thank you' to the people of Cape Town," said mayor Dan Plato. "Without their support and gees, the event would never have been a success. The people of Cape Town really came to the party."
Published on the Web by IOL on 2010-07-07 12:28:00
Zuma bowled over by Cape's World Cup class
By Clayton Barnes
2010 Writer
Cape Town has got the presidential stamp of approval as South Africa's best World Cup host city, with President Jacob Zuma describing it today as his "favourite".
Zuma was not alone in his praise for the city's World Cup campaign: SA Football Association president Kirsten Nematandani, who attended his first match in the city on Tuesday night, said the atmosphere had been "electric" and "magic".
And there's a very good chance Bafana Bafana will soon play at Cape Town Stadium, says Nematandani.
Zuma attended two of the eight World Cup matches in the city and even tested what Fifa described as South Africa's best pitch, when he jogged on to the field before the quarter-final on Saturday to take part in an exhibition game.
On Tuesday night, Zuma and Fifa boss Sepp Blatter chatted in the stadium's VIP suite as they watched the Netherlands claim a spot in the World Cup final.
After the match, Zuma gave Cape Town an unequivocal thumbs-up for its "thorough" planning.
Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said Zuma had thoroughly enjoyed playing and watching soccer in Cape Town.
"Cape Town has been the president's favourite," said Magwena. "The city has really put on a show. Heads of state who have accompanied the president have also been very pleased.
"The president was impressed by the way in which Cape Town prepared for and managed the tournament."
Nematandani said: "I don't know how Cape Town managed to do this. It was magic. I saw a lot of Capetonians wearing orange. Cape Town truly got into the World Cup spirit. There's just one word to describe it: 'fantastic'!"
Nematandani said Bafana Bafana would play a friendly in Cape Town soon to thank South Africans for their support during the tournament.
While the World Cup might be over for Cape Town, the city has benefited from billions of rands worth of international publicity and world-class infrastructure - and left doomsayers eating their words.
Gillian Saunders, from research company Grant Thornton, said the tournament had been a perfect marketing opportunity to show the world that Cape Town and South Africa could deliver any major sporting event.
"The World Cup definitely improved Cape Town's profile," said Saunders. "It was a great tourism marketing opportunity for the country. It's events like these that grow business and event tourism."
The economic spin-off had been phenomenal, said Mansoor Mohamed, the city's economic, social development and tourism executive director.
He said an estimated R11 billion would be pumped into the local economy as result of the tournament.
"The World Cup has definitely had an impact on the way people spend," he said. "We didn't only have tourists spending, but locals also supported their teams, they celebrated in the city and spent a lot of money along the Fan Walk."
The most positive impact, said Mohamed, was the perception change.
"People now see Cape Town as a world-class destination," he said. "We are the real winners. This event was the best destination marketing tool."
Finance, Economic Development and Tourism MEC Alan Winde said the biggest factors that had previously affected international travel to Cape Town were perceptions about safety and cost.
"The World Cup gave us the platform to overturn our reputation from a no-go zone to a must-go zone," said Winde.
The World Cup has resulted in a R14.5bn infrastructural development boost for Cape Town.
The provincial transport department spent more than R1bn on new roads and upgrades, while R1.5bn was spent on the new multi-storey terminal at the Cape Town International Airport.
The once run-down Cape Town station was also upgraded to the tune of R480-million.
New lodges, restaurants and hotels - such as the One and Only at the Waterfront, The Taj in Adderley Street, 15 on Orange and The Coral International in Wale Street - have also been built.
Fans used the city's Fan Walk for the last time on Tuesday night. About 500 000 fans have used the walk to and from the stadium since the start of the tournament, while 450 000 fans have visited the Grand Parade for the Fan Fest since June 11.
"All I can say is a big 'thank you' to the people of Cape Town," said mayor Dan Plato. "Without their support and gees, the event would never have been a success. The people of Cape Town really came to the party."
- This article was originally published on page 1 of The Cape Argus on July 07, 2010
Published on the Web by IOL on 2010-07-07 12:28:00
