GCEO launches the Siyanqoba Campaign

Few South Africans will forget the feeling of elation when it was announced that South Africa was to host the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup. To ensure that the country fully supports Bafana Bafana, Dali Mpofu, the SABC GCEO, has officially launched the SABC-SAFA Siyanqoba Campaign, which is supported by the SAA. Siyanqoba, which means "we are winning", is an SABC Sport initiative and Mpofu is the champion of the campaign.

The partners have embarked on a huge campaign to mobilise the country behind Bafana Bafana ahead of their Germany 2006 FIFA World Cup and MTN African Cup of Nations Qualifiers. This will involve a road show on an open bus, which kicks-off this Saturday. The bus will make various stops where the Champion of the campaign, sports, radio and Television personalities, who will be on the bus, will give promotional items and give-aways to communities.

The first phase of the campaign is known as Operation Ouagadougou, which is the current round of qualification matches, whose outcome will determine which countries play in both the MTN African Cup of Nations and FIFA World Cup in Germany respectively. South Africa needs to win both its games, against Burkina Faso on 3 September and against the DRC on October 8 at home. "In the remaining 18 days before the game, we must galvanise unprecedented support for Bafana Bafana across the length and breadth of this country," said Mpofu. “Using all our platforms, we will take this campaign to the churches and mosques, temples and the shuls, workplaces, schools, cities, villages, and dorpies. This campaign should be sustained until 2010."

The South African government represented by Makhenkesi Stofile, the minister of sports and recreation, has also pledged to throw its full weight behind the campaign. In the GCEO's words “THE WAR IS ON!”.