Cape Town - South Africans must close ranks and protect Africa’s right to host the Fifa Soccer World Cup, Sport and Recreation Minister Makhenkesi Stofile said on Tuesday.

Speaking during debate on his budget vote in the National Assembly, he said South Africa’s preparations for the 2010 event were on track.

Everything was now there for all the doubting Thomases to see or inspect.

“But our detractors will continue to be heard long after a successful 2010.

“We are aware what the opponents of the rotation of bidding continents are trying to do to steal the world event from Africa.

“Let us close ranks and protect this privilege. By all means criticise where criticism is due. Let us not demoralise and demobilise our people by negative attitudes,” he said.

On last week’s adoption by the House of the Sport and Recreation Amendment Bill, Stofile said some believed it should be used to contribute to transformation, while others believed things should be left as they always had been.

The first group believed that a democratising state should play a role in transformation, while the second believed market forces and pure chance should be allowed to dictate the route of change.

“No government of the people can abdicate its responsibility to chance and market forces,” he said.

A developmental state had to intervene to make sure the goals of a nation were attained.

President Thabo Mbeki correctly pointed out that market forces were not sympathetic to the poor.

“By the same token we must resist the temptation to ride rough shod on other sectors of our society.

“‘Affirmative action’ or ‘regstellende aksie’ need not be hostile to some groups while it is assisting others to catch up.

“We want all our children to start from the same line. Who finishes first must not be pre-determined by the disparities of where they individually start.

“Merit selection cannot be achieved if the playing field of the participants is not level. To pretend otherwise is only to be over-hopeful or to be simply mischievous,” Stofile said.