STEVEN MANN, Johannesburg | Sunday 11.30am.
WITH just 11 days to go until biggest party the world has ever seen, some of South Africa’s largest corporates and parastatals have pledged millions of rand towards local millennium celebrations.
Eskom, First National Bank, Vodacom, the Post Office and Transnet were on Saturday named as official sponsors for three events organised by the Millennium Trust — parties on Robben Island, at the Pretoria’s Union Buildings and in Durban.
To date the trust has raised R22-million from corporates for the three events.
In addition Durban Africa, Tourism KwaZulu-Natal and the city of Durban have pledged R14-million for celebrations in the province, while the Gauteng provincial government and the Pretoria city council have donated R4-million towards the Union Building celebrations.
The trust, set up by the SABC two years ago to oversee the country’s official millennium celebrations, will carry the remaining costs. Sponsors will be hoping to cash in on saturation television coverage of the celebrations.
The Robben Island event, to be attended by President Thabo Mbeki, his predecessor Nelson Mandela and 500 other select guests, is expected to be broadcast live to 2.5 billion viewers worldwide.
The itinerary includes the debut of a new Richard Loring musical entitled African Footprint and a tour of the island prison conducted personally by former inmate Mandela.