“As an old friend of SA, we are determined to help you as much as we can,” Merkel said on Friday 5 October 2007, flanked by Local Organising Committee CEO Danny Jordan, German minister for economic cooperation Wieczoreck Zeul, and former AC Milan player and current German team manager Oliver Bierhof.
“We will not impose our will on you but we stand ready to help in all departments to ensure that the 2010 World Cup in SA becomes a tremendous success.”
Accompanied by parliamentary leaders of all political parties sitting in the Bundestag (German Parliament) and various German businessmen, Merkel said that this visit will give them a good insight of how things are moving this side and how they think they can give their support to SA.
The 2006 World Cup in Germany was a fantastic success and through its slogan ‘It is Time to Make Friends' was a catalyst that truly united all people of Germany, former West and East, and Merkel said that she was hoping that SA – a not-so-united country – will learn from that experience to bring together people of all races and cultures.
Jordan echoed Merkel's sentiments, saying: “The 2006 World Cup truly cemented the German people. As a country divided by the past and history, nation-building is our key component for this World Cup.
“We want to walk hand-in-hand and become part of the glue that will bind us together as one people.”
Again, Jordan reiterated the issue of legacy, something he said constitutes a backbone of the World Cup as SA seeks to curtail the high levels of poverty, social injustice and economic inequality that still linger more than a decade after the dawn of democracy.
A total of 14 000 jobs have already been created nationwide since the construction of the stadiums began, Jordan added.
SA's unemployment rate presently stands at 25.5% and according to Statistics SA's Quarterly Employment Survey (QES) recent figures, 238 000 jobs were created between June last year and June this year, with the building sector providing only a mere 19 000 jobs.
African soccer legend Kalusha Bwalya and former Orlando Pirates and Charlton Athletic player Mark Fish handed over the 2010 World Cup organising report to Merkel.
The German Chancellor and her delegation were due to visit Ethiopia and Liberia before flying back to Germany.
The FNB Stadium, home of SA soccer, will be the venue for the opening ceremony and the final game for the World Cup. Once completely refurbished in October 2009 – two years from now – it will have the capacity of 94 700 spectators.
