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SPEECH BY HELEN ZILLE
MAYOR OF CAPE TOWN
LAUNCH OF THE JOINT 2010 WORLD CUP INFORMATION AND EDUCATION
CAMPAIGN OF THE CITY OF CAPE TOWN, MEDIA24 AND INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS
GREEN POINT VISITOR CENTRE
MONDAY, 26 JANUARY 2009, 18H00
Protocol
Cape Town Mayoral Committee Members
Mr. Groepe, Mr. Davidson and your teams from Media24 and Independent Newspapers
City councillors
Colleagues from the Executive Management Team and the 2010 Project Team
Speech notes
Today is 500 days – and counting as they say in the NASA control room! – to the 2010 FIFA
World Cup kick-off.
It is a particular milestone to celebrate, but also a reality check.
We must remind ourselves how much there is to do, the risks we face and the hard work that
lies ahead in order to stage this event successfully.
Our City government has always regarded the news media as a very important stakeholder as
well as an immediate and relevant channel for two-way communication between the City
government and our residents.
Tonight we launch a particularly significant joint initiative with our two dominant media
houses, Media24 and Independent Newspapers.
In Die Burger, Cape Times and Cape Argus today, we saw the first of many 2010 supplements,
to be followed by similar features in the community papers when they publish later this week.
This signals the start of a five month information and education campaign on 2010.
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The broadsheet, tabloid, and community papers, niche titles and websites within the two
groups will use supplements, feature articles, columns, posters, promotions, competitions and
other channels to tell the 3,4 million residents of Cape Town what 2010 is and what it is not,
what is going to happen, where, when, how and why, what the opportunities are and how to
make the most of the event.
Our research tells us that 57% of Capetonians receive their news about the City of Cape Town
through their community papers.
We also know that print media provide constant news angles for television and radio.
I am happy and proud to say that this joint initiative is a first for South African host cities.
FIFA and the Organising Committee are excited about the campaign and keen to learn how we
did it in Cape Town.
FIFA President, Mr. Sepp Blatter, and Organising Committee CEO, Dr Danny Jordaan, have
hailed the good progress with stadiums, other infrastructure and operational planning.
But they believe there should be more 2010-related information communicated to the public,
and more campaigning to create excitement around the event.
This media campaign is part of Cape Town’s answer to that challenge.
The Independent and Media24 teams who are here tonight have been working hard with the
City’s Communication Department and 2010 Project Team.
They are getting acquainted with the complexities of 2010 and, believe me, there are many.
The media teams will then extract and package relevant, user-friendly information for their
readers.
Kaapstad se 2010 doelwitte is:
om die toernooi suksesvol aan te bied;
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om ‘n trekpleister vir pret te wees;
om ‘n erflating van beter dienste en infrastruktuur uit 2010 te kry; en
om die blootstelling wat ons deur hierdie reuse sportgebeurtenis gaan kry, te gebruik
om meer beleggings en toerimse te lok om ons ekonomie ‘n hupstoot te gee.
Ons bemarkingsplan berus op drie bene:
Om mylpale met die bou van die Groenpunt-stadion en die konstruksie van ander
infrastruktuur te benut as media-, bemarkings- en gemeenskapsgeleenthede. Hierdie
tasbare en sigbare vordering moet ons vertroue en opwinding bou.
Ons moet vir die buitewêreld vertel en aan ons eie inwoners bevestig hoe besonders en
uniek die Kaap se mense, geskiedenis en kultuur is; en
Ons moet ons wêreldbekende besienswaardighede soos Tafelberg, Robben-eiland, ons
oseane en natuurskoon nog meer bekend en gewild maak as wat dit reeds is.
Die stadion moet gereed wees. Ons ander infrastruktuur moet klaar wees. Ons bedryfsplanne
moet werk Ons vervoerstelsels en veiligheidsplanne moet suksesvol wees.
Die bepalende faktor vir 2010 is egter nie die infradstruktuur of selfs die sokker nie, maar die
mense van Kaapstad.
Misdaad, onvriendelikheid, gierigheid en buitensporige pryse, sal besoekers ontmoedig om
weer te kom of hier te belê.
As Kapenaars wonderlike, hulpvaardige gashere is en aan besoekers die beste professionele
diens
teen
billike,
markverwante
pryse
lewer,
sal
die
2010
besoekers
onbetaalde
ambassadeurs, lojale toeriste of beleggers word. Onthou, hulle het reeds begin aankom.
Die media-huise sal deur hierdie veldtog die sukses van 2010 help bevorder. Hulle behou egter
redaksionele onafhanklikheid. Die Stad aanvaar dat hulle hul gewone nuus-beriggewing oor
2010 sal voortsit en by tye krities sal wees – solank die Stad ‘n kans gebied word vir sy
kommentaar en die nuus gebalanseerd en binne konteks aangebied word.
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I would like to thank Media24, Independent Newspapers and the City’s team for coming up
with this creative, cost-effective and beneficial initiative.
We have to remain realistic about the challenges of 2010.
But I am excited about what the confidence, goodwill, enthusiasm, service and hospitality of
Capetonians can do for Cape Town’s international image, our economy and to dispel Afropessimism. I believe our joint initiative can help us to achieve these goals.
Thank you to everyone involved in making the campaign possible, and good luck.