South African President assures FIFA over power outage

February 23, 2008

The president of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, has stepped in to assure FIFA president Sepp Blatter that South Africa would host a successful 2010 World Cup despite on-going concerns about power outages in South Africa.

Mbeki was speaking at African Union summit in Ethiopia last week when he addressed the doubts that exist over his country’s hosting of the 2010 Finals.

“I do not have information about their conversation, but the President dealt with these matters, giving a clear indication that we will host a successful World Cup,” said Jabu Moleketi, Deputy Minister of Finance and head of the 2010 task team.

Mbeki also confirmed that the stadiums used in the 2010 finals will only use the national power grid as a backup source, instead being powered by independent power sources.

“We have held a meeting with Eskom and agreed that all hosting cities in the country should be given a priority during the World Cup,” continued Moleketi.

Mbeki also stressed the successful hosting by South Africa of recent major sporting events including the Rugby World Cup and Cricket World Cup, with the 2003 Cricket World Cup being hailed as one of the best ever.

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