Minister Gayton McKenzie: Media Briefing at Freedom Park

Programme Director,

Deputy Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, the Hon. Peace Mabe,

Director-General of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture,

Chief Executive Officer of Freedom Park, and the Freedom Park Executive,

Members of the media,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning, and thank you for joining us here at Freedom Park – a site that holds our country's memory, and reminds us that sport, arts and culture are never separate from the long work of building a nation.

Before I begin, I want to acknowledge that today we are many things at once: a department, a ministry, a deputy minister and a minister – but above all, we are public servants. And the work we are here to account for is not ours. It belongs to the people of South Africa.

Today we are going to cover a lot of ground – from a walk that we want every South African on their feet for, to a football match in Mexico that will bring back memories of 2010, to the support this Department is putting behind chess.

Let me start with news that is not ours, but that we share in as Africans.

World Athletics Relays – Gaborone, Botswana

On the weekend of 2 and 3 May – just over a week from now – Gaborone will host the World Athletics Relays. This is the first time in the 8-edition history of the Relays that the event will be held on African soil. It is the first World Athletics Series event ever hosted on our continent.

That is a milestone, and it belongs to Botswana. It belongs to the Botswana Athletics Association, to Minister Jacob Kelebeng and his Ministry of Sport and Arts, and to the people of Botswana, who this year are also celebrating 60 years of independence. They have called it a diamond year, and they are right to.

On behalf of the government and the people of South Africa, I want to offer our sincere congratulations to the Republic of Botswana. When one African country succeeds in hosting at this level, every African country benefits from the shift in how the world sees us.

I will be travelling to Gaborone for the event, and I do so not only as a neighbour paying respect, but because South Africa has a serious team on the track.

All four men from our gold-medal-winning 4x400-metre team from last year's World Relays in Guangzhou have been named for Gaborone. Akani Simbine, who anchored our 4x100-metre team to gold, returns as well. Bafana ba-athletics – if you will allow me the expression – are going to Gaborone to defend what they won.

To our athletes: the nation is with you. Go and do what you have trained to do.

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Ke a leboha. Enkosi. Dankie. Thank you.

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