The
African Cup of Nations (AFCON) Organising Committee and the National Lotteries
Board (NLB) are pleased to announce that the Sport and Recreation Distributing
Agency of the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund has granted R13.5
million to assist with ensuring the smooth running of AFCON 2013.
“We
will be able to use this money to provide services such as stipends, training,
transport and food for five thousand volunteers, which is five hundred
confirmed volunteers per region who have given their time to help us make sure
that AFCON 2013 is as successful as the World Cup in 2010. We have been
overwhelmed by the volunteer response and are delighted that so many South
Africans to get involved in the 2013
Orange AFCON tournament,” says MvusoMbebe, Chief Executive Officer of the AFCON
LOC.
Volunteers
will receive an official uniform, a certificate of appreciation, a daily
stipend and travel and catering costs. They will be deployed to assist in the
following: accreditation, logistics, hospitality, IT, translation, marketing,
legacy meeting, protocol, spectator Service, ticketing, tournament operations,
transport, welcome and information service, volunteer management and
telecommunications.
NLB
chairperson, Professor Alfred Nevhutanda, says: “We are committed to
encouraging the organizations we fund to support our President’s call for job
creation. We also hope that through this experience, the volunteers will also
gain valuable skills and experience that they will be able to use after the
soccer tournament that will continue to contribute to the South African
economy. This is in keeping with the NLB mandate of ensuring that the lottery
funds are used to provide opportunities for the more vulnerable in our society,
socially and economically. We are looking forward to a well-run event which offers
excellent soccer.”
AFCON
begins on 18 January at 18:00, with the opening match between BafanaBafana and
Cape Verde in Johannesburg. AFCON appeals to all South Africans to get behind
the tournament and looks forward to the revival of the Diski Dance and Soccer
Fridays.
“During
the World Cup we were all hoping for an African team to win,” said Mbebe. “This
time, that’s assured. And we are looking forward to the celebrations of Africa
that will take place.”
source: http://bit.ly/SPxzEE
