29 June 2010
"The 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa will create significant direct and indirect economic benefits for the country's economy", Gert Oosthuizen, Deputy Minister of Sport and Recreation South Africa, said at a panel discussion at Ke Nako Africa, an initiative of the Sport and Recreation South Africa during the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Johannesburg.
Together with Andreas Proksch, Head of Africa Division of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit GmbH and Matthew Govender from Barloworld Limited (Ltd), Oosthuizen discussed the relevance of sport for business and development.
"The real legacy of the world cup is a change of the image of South Africa and the entire South African continent," Mr Proksch explained.
"For large and medium scale companies, the question where to invest is very much a psychological one. Due to the great performance of South Africa in organising the world cup, the country is a stepping stone for international companies to enter the African market".
Mr Oosthuizen added: "The value of sport as a tool to help change cultural perceptions is priceless".
Mr Govender from Barloworld stressed that sport is also a unique opportunity for businesses to foster youth development.
"We are supporting sport programmes in communities in order to build future leaders".
Nokuthula Zwane, Sustainable Business Manager for Nike South Africa, stated that Nike formed a public private partnership with GTZ, the Sport for Social Change Network (SSCN).
"Nike has the sport background, and we have the expertise in youth development," Gerald Guskowski from the GTZ Youth Development through Football programme added.
"Jointly, we are creating a network of 45 organisations in Southern Africa that promotes youth development through sport; it's a perfect example for a win-win situation".
The panel discussion took place in the context of Ke Nako Africa, which is an initiative by the Department of Sport and Recreation. Partners of Ke Nako Africa are the Southern African Development Community (SADC), The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), the Artists Trust of Southern Africa (ARTSA), the German Development Cooperation, Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WASH United) as well as the Youth Development through Football programme of Sport and Recreation South Africa, which is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit on behalf of the German government and which is co-founded by the European Union.
Ke Nako Africa features two main elements:
* On the one hand the Ke Nako Africa exhibition, which is a platform for actors from Africa and the world and
* Oin the other hand the Ke Nako Africa programme, where political meetings, cultural events, youth activities and discussion forums on topics such as water, sanitation and hygiene, energy, sport and business, information and communication technology (ICT) and investment are organised.
Ke Nako Africa takes place within the International Football Village at Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre in Johannesburg. The International Football Village has been designed to enable local and international visitors to celebrate the world's biggest sporting event in a safe and entertaining environment.
For further information, please contact:
Katharina Binhack
Cell: 078 85 71 236
E-mail: katharina.binhack@gtz.de
Issued by: Sport and Recreation South Africa
29 June 2010
Source: Sport and Recreation South Africa (http://www.srsa.gov.za/)
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