Zakumi - a Mascot with attitude
So what can we say about him? One thing is for sure, Zakumi will be first on the dancefloor and last off it at the biggest party in the world - the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. He wants to dance and entertain as many people as he can. He is an animator for fans, players and officials, for schoolchildren, teenagers and big kids alike!
Needless to say, he is extremely proud to be the Official Mascot and determined to be the best host for everyone visiting his beloved country. He symbolizes South Africa and the rest of the African continent through his self-confidence, pride, hospitality, social skills and warm-heartedness.
Zakumi is a jolly, self-confident, adventurous, spontaneous, and actually quite shrewd little fellow. He loves to perform and always follows his instinct and intuition, yet sometimes has the tendency to exaggerate a bit. You will often find him fooling about and teasing people but not in a mean way. He is warm-hearted and caring, and wants to make as many friends as possible.
He loves to play football as it is a great way to connect with others and break down language barriers. He always carries his football around which he will use to invite people to play with him.
Zakumi loves football. At one time he decided to dye his hair green as he felt it would be the perfect camouflage against the green of the football pitch; a bit like his rosette spots are when hunting in the wilderness!
He does have one striking weakness. With all his energy, he needs frequent rests. Occasionally, in-between performances on stage, he may suddenly fall asleep on the spot at the most random times! But rest assured, these are only short breaks that a leopard of his calibre needs to recharge his batteries.
Over the last years he has travelled the whole of Africa where the leopard habitat is good (pretty much everywhere from open savannahs, forests, jungles to mountainous areas, even deserts). He has therefore learned to adapt to new environments; enjoying the diversity in nature and people across the African continent
The name ‘Zakumi' is a composition of ‘ZA' standing for South Africa and ‘kumi', which translates into ‘10' in various languages across Africa.
Zakumi's main priority is to turn the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa into one huge, joyful and unforgettable party and show the thousands of international guests the warmth and spirit of the African continent.
"He wants to create a good mood for the fans and raise the excitement for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the first on African soil. He is a proud South African and wants to ensure that the world will come together in South Africa," explained Lucas Radebe, South Africa's football icon and close friend of Zakumi.
Greenpoint Stadium Cape Town capacity: 70 000 |
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Soccer city stadium Johannesburg capacity: 94 700 |
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Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium Port Elizabeth (Nelson Mandela Municipality) capacity: 46 000 |
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Moses Mabhida Stadium Durban capacity: 70 000 |
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Royal Bafokeng stadium Rustenburg capacity: 42 000 |
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Ellis park stadium Johannesburg capacity: 61 000 |
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Loftus Versveld stdium Pretoria (Tshwane municipality) capacity: 50 000 |
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Free state stadium Bloemfontein (Mangaung) capacity:45 000 |
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Mbombela stadium Nelspruit capacity:46 000 |
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Peter Mokaba stadium Polokwane capacity: 45 000 |
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Images and info: Courtesy of the Media Club of South Africa
2010 FIFA WORLD CUP: SOUTH AFRICA READY FOR THE SHOW
In a message to South Africans delivered on the occasion of the New Year’s Day, Mr Danny Jordan, Chief Executive Officer of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa, declared that “the year South Africans have been waiting for has arrived. He thus called on his fellow South Africans “to open their doors, hearts and sporting spirits to the world”. According to him, “the hosting of the globe’s greatest sporting festival will not just be an honour for South Africa, but the entire continent”. For him, “the successful hosting of the tournament is not only the responsibility of South Africans but it is also their honour and duty”. He indicated that “South Africa will be the stage and the African continent the theatre of the best soccer players in the world, including Lionel Messi, Iker Csillas, Nemanja Vidic, Daniel Alves, John Terrry, Patrice Evra, Steven Gerrard, Andres Iniesta et Xavi, Cristiano Ronaldo et Fernando Torres”.
According to Mr Jordan, “the World Cup is expected to leave a substantial tourism legacy, with the once-in-a-lifetime marketing opportunity expected to make South Africa a more widely known and understood destination. More than three million people who will attend games at the 10 world-class stadiums, over 450 000 of whom will be international visitors, more than 300 broadcasters and 18 000 journalists will cover the 64 games that will be watched by a cumulative audience of 26 billion around the world”.
“This is a first for Africa, he said. For Fifa officials, “it has been a matter of finding a country that can accommodate such a massive undertaking and we have been equal to the task. Following the successful staging of the Confederations Cup and the Fifa Final Draw, the world has seen that South Africa is ready to stage the 2010 World Cup Finals. All 10 stadiums to be used have been completed. Plans for other support infrastructure are on track: roads, transports and services like security and safety; information communication and technology and health services from various departments at national level are being finalised”.
Moreover, he pointed out, “the South African government and the construction industry are confident they can cope with the massive amount of work required to complete the refurbishment of roads, airports and other developments. The newly built stadiums for the soccer showpiece will all be tested before May this year”.
Besides, Mr Jordan indicated that “hosting the World cup has created hundreds of jobs and opportunities for many thousands of South Africans. According to a study by Grant Thornton Strategic Solutions, the 2010 Fifa World cup will contribute at last R55-billion to the South African economy and create 415 000 direct jobs. This includes national government spending on stadiums and related infrastructure, spectator trip expenditure and ticket sales”.
“Apart from promoting partnership with the entire world, the 2010 World Cup is expected to attract multibillion-dollar investments for the country and the continent”, Danny Jordan said.
According to him, “the South African government is upgrading roads, airports and mass transit systems in preparation for the event. A beefed-up high-tech transport system of buses, trains and taxis will be available nationwide to move the football faithful around”.
As concerns “issues relating to immigration”, “visas and work permits are being streamlined by the government to make travel and entry into the country easy and efficient. Accommodation will be sufficient and tickets for the games are on sale”, he added.
He revealed that “South Africa beat the record of $2.8-billion contributed in the commercial rights to Fifa by Germany during the last World Cup. South Africa has so far contributed $3.1 billion in commercial rights to Fifa”.
Mr Jordan also announced that “for the fist time, you will have DBVH, digital broadcast, video, which means you will be able to watch the action live and in full on your cellphone”.
According to him, “from this event, people will see Africa not as a continent of woes, but a continent which can host a world-class event, a tourism destination, an investment destination”.
“On the security front, we believe in a justice system that can respond to the breaking of law and order”, Jordan said. “The government is giving us strong backing with regards to security measures and we will have a safe and secure World Cup. The government is hiring an additional 55,000 police officers, boosting the force by 15%. I am satisfied fans, tans and the public will be safe during the 2010 finals”, he added.
In his opinion, “the challenge now is to mobilise the nation. We need each and every South African to stand up and decide what they are doing to welcome the world in 2010”.
“More than 15 000 volunteers from 52 countries will soon be selected and begin training to help us deliver the games and host the multitudes of visitors”, Jordan indicated.
He believes that “from now until July, every South African must play their part in ensuring we come together as one nation to deliver the best Fifa World Cup ever”.
“Be it through participation in host city projects, 2010 community programmes for simply positive, supportive conversations with friends, fellow workmates and foreigners around our readiness and excitement towards 2010, every South African has a part to play and post-2010 South Africa will be significantly better than pre-2010 South Africa”, Danny Jordan concluded.
