Mr Speaker, the APC joins this House and indeed the whole country in congratulating Dr Irvin Khoza and his team, not only for winning for our country the right to host the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup, but also for running the preparations for it in a way that promises that this Soccer World Cup will be one of the best organised. The growing awareness and excitement in the country confirm that, indeed, the World Cup is coming to our country, to our continent. The APC believes that Fifa needs to be thanked for debunking the tendency of international bodies to marginalise Africa. We have just seen the conclusion of the Fifa Under-21 Soccer World Cup in Egypt, which was won by Ghana. The Fifa Under-17 Soccer World Cup is currently taking place in Nigeria, and next year the World Cup will be held in our country. This is truly appreciated. The APC believes that our country will live up to its commitment to deliver for Africa a soccer spectacle never to be forgotten.
Beyond the logistical preparations, which we all agree are on course, there is the issue of the performance of African teams in particular. It is important that Bafana Bafana should perform credibly, for they know that they have the unqualified support of the nation.
The APC however decries the fact that Safa does not appear to be appropriately positioned to provide the kind of foresight and leadership that will ensure that we have a squad that can rise to the challenge of the World Cup, in which case we would have to rely on the likes of Ghana and the Ivory Coast to save us from embarrassment.
Looking at the performance of the African players in the tough European leagues, I feel that there is no reason why we should not follow the example of the Ghana under-21 team, which beat Brazil, despite playing with 10 players for the better part of the game. Our African teams should not just participate, but should compete with the will and confidence to win the cup for Africa.
The APC once again would like to salute the Local Organising Committee for a job, so far, well done. I thank you. [Applause.]