All reports by Ramatsiyi Moholoa

All reports by Ramatsiyi Moholoa

More than 10 000 people in Limpopo are expected to attend the 2010 World Cup 1 000 days countdown celebrations in Polokwane on Saturday.

It will be part of the national celebrations with the main one scheduled for the Union Building in Pretoria. Other host cities will also have theirs.

Simon Mokoatedi, Polokwane Municipality communications boss, said their event will take place at Peter Mokaba Stadium, starting at 10am.

"We thought it will be a good idea to use the Peter Mokaba Stadium, which is close to the new sports complex that we are building for the World Cup," he said.

"That will also give people who will be coming a clear picture that we are serious in Polokwane in terms of our preparations and delivering a world-class stadium.

"We will also use Saturday's event to inform and educate the community of Limpopo on all the projects related to the World Cup.

"Key messages will include the government's 17 guarantees [to Fifa) and South Africa's investment in the World Cup. We will also deal with the state of readiness for the World Cup, benefits, different legacy projects and the stadium construction," said Mokoatedi.

"In addition, there will be cultural activities as part of the celebrations, depicting the diverse cultures of Limpopo."

There will also be a music concert featuring top local artists. Sello Moloto, Limpopo premier, and Thabo Makunyane, the mayor of Polokwane, are expected to be among the dignitaries at the celebrations.

Nakedi Lekota, Safa national executive member, said: "We are looking forward to attending the celebrations. We all know that many people have been saying they would like to benefit [form the World Cup]. We urge them to attend so that they can get first-hand information from our political leaders."