The Gauteng province spent R4-million on 4613 Soccer World Cup tickets, Premier Nomvula Mokonyane said on Wednesday.
The decision to buy them was based on the “need for government to take steps to afford deserving Gauteng residents who would not be able to afford to buy tickets, an opportunity to attend some of the World Cup matches,” she said in Johannesburg during the province’s executive council meeting.
Over 3 000 tickets were distributed to schools, orphanages, special homes and amateur sports clubs.
“We spent this R4-million as a province, not for ourselves and not for our families.”
The rest of the tickets were for “strategic partners”.
“MECs [provincial ministers] were allocated tickets for the purpose of hosting and networking with the government’s strategic partners.”
Mokonyane hailed the people of Gauteng for making the tournament a success. The province hosted about 60% of the games, including the opening and closing matches.
The provincial government had requested the Gauteng City Region Observatory to study the successes achieved during the tournament and to determine how to build on them. –Sapa