Chairperson, hon Ministers, hon Deputy Ministers, hon Members of Parliament and distinguished guests, firstly, I want to assure Ms Mazibuko that the ANC doesn't need the Government Communication and Information System, GCIS. It has its own viable structure in Luthuli House, the department of information, and you should start focusing on building your organisation and stop being a mouthpiece for other people.
I dedicate this International Marketing Council, IMC, budget speech to the late former Minister of Communication Dr Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri. Malibongwe igama lamakhosikazi! [Praise the name of women!]
The International Marketing Council of South Africa was established in August 2002 to help create a positive and compelling brand image for South Africa. At that time, the world was unsure about what to think of South Africa, with many different messages being sent out by various sources. This did very little to build the country's brand, and it was evident that, to attract tourists and investment, there was a need to co-ordinate marketing initiatives to make them more effective.
This led to the creation of the IMC, whose main objective is the marketing of South Africa through the Brand South Africa campaign. There are many benefits to having a consolidated brand image, with the most important being that a consistent Brand South Africa message creates strategic advantages in terms of trade and tourism for the country in an increasingly competitive marketplace. From May to November 2008, the IMC was subject to a strategic review initiated by the executive authority of the Minister in the Presidency. The review was overseen by a reference group comprising members of the IMC board and other stakeholders.
Ordinary people must form an integral part of the global marketing effort and not only the global South African community. This can be made possible via word of mouth, networking and opinion pieces in the media.
UMzantsi Afrika lelinye lamazwe azidlayo ngenkcubeko naziqhenyayo ngezinto zawo ndawonye nokugcina ubuthandazwe. Indlela uMzantsi Afrika ophawulwe ngayo kufuneka ibe yethengisa eli lizwe lethu ngaphandle ngokuthi ibonise izinto uMzantsi Afrika ozenze ngokwawo. Asifuni ke ukuba yonke into eyenziwa nguMzantsi Afrika sibe sisoloko siyithatha kwilizwe laseMelika. Sifuna ukuba nakwamanye amazwe afana ne-Asia nase-India zibekhona izinto esizithathayo nakuwo, asinakube silinganisa iMelika yonke le mihla. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.) [South Africa is one of the countries that are proud of their culture and their possessions, and that uphold patriotism. The way in which South Africa is branded must promote our country internationally through exhibiting products that have been manufactured in South Africa. We do not want every product manufactured by South Africa to be an American import. We want to import products from Asian countries as well as India, and we cannot emulate the United States of America all the time.]
The recent state of the nation address gives a clear indication of how ANC policy proposals are being translated into government programmes and how the Budget should respond to this. The critical indicator is the ANC's five- point manifesto and the relationship of expenditure in the Budget to this framework. To keep the momentum, it is important also for South Africa to keep the world informed of the country's development, both politically and economically. With the open global market, where developing countries compete for foreign investment, it is imperative for South Africa to proactively market itself for purposes of the country's economic growth. In the same way, the branding of South Africa should, in a sense, be more South African to show the outside world that South Africa is proudly South African.
In the past elections, South Africans gathered in their thousands in orderly queues to have their say in the future of the democratic South Africa in the same place that the demonstrators once stood. Perhaps it had something to do with the tiny figure of Lord Nelson on his towering column, peering out over Parliament Square, where an animated statue of our own Nelson Mandela is flanked by the likes of Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher and Gen Jan Smuts - the only other South African in the square.
It was a day on which South Africans filed onto South African soil in unprecedented numbers, thanks to a decision by the Constitutional Court - the cornerstone of South Africa's democracy - which compelled government to extend voting facilities to all South Africans abroad who are on the voters' roll. They waited patiently and quietly, reading the latest copy of The South African, chatting quietly about their reasons for being in the UK; why they were voting; and exchanging memories, hopes and fears for their beloved country.
It also took me back to 1994, when I had felt so privileged to be part of the first election in which all South Africans were able to vote. Most of the time, in the long queues, at places snaking for kilometres, many South Africans got to know each other for the first time as they waited for hours to cast their votes. Back then it was a deeply moving, as well as a humbling and empowering experience. And so it was again yesterday, 14 June 2009, when President Jacob Zuma officially opened the 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg
On 11 May 2009, the International Marketing Council of South Africa launched its 2010 Fifa World Cup marketing campaign that celebrates two global football spectaculars. The campaign is engineering to ignite the nation and the continent behind both the Fifa Confederations Cup and the 2010 Fifa World Cup, the global football spectacular, and South Africa's status as the first African host nation. The campaign is a collaboration between the International Marketing Council, a custodian of the South African national brand; South African Tourism, a destination marketing organisation; and the 2010 organising committee, custodians of the 2010 Fifa World Cup event.
At the heart of the African campaign is an invitation for Africa to unite and rally behind the 2010 Fifa World Cup, while the domestic focus is on celebrating ordinary South Africans as champions who will make the 2010 event a reality and a stunning success. Both campaigns celebrate Africa's passion for football. This celebration drives excitement for a football campaign that will be colourful, vibrant, intoxicating and alive with a fusion of cultures, dance, song and music.
In conclusion, it is important for the IMC, for South Africa, to keep a sustained effort on marketing the country internationally. This is very important, particularly amidst the global economic crisis that is sliding developing countries' economies into recessions. South Africa is in a good state, both politically and economically. What the IMC needs to do is to maintain this status while also taking proactive measures to avoid complacency as regards South Africa's international standing.
Ndiyabulela, enkosi. I-ANC iyayisekela le budget. [Thank you. The ANC supports this budget.] [Applause.]