As South Africa on Monday begins the process of organising for the 2010 Soccer World Cup, President Thabo Mbeki has vowed to confront those who consider it their "permanent job" to paint a negative image of the country.
"There are some people in the country, within South Africa, who think they've got a permanent job to paint a negative image of South Africa. I suspect they are people who essentially were not happy that apartheid came to an end and that South Africa became a democratic country.
"They've never accepted the transition to a democratic society. They retain the hope that the country will fail, but they're the ones who are going to fail," Mbeki told the Pretoria News in an exclusive interview at South Africa's embassy in Berlin.
He rejected reports that Fifa was working on an emergency plan to take the 2010 World Cup to Australia should South Africa be unable to host it, saying somebody had "cooked up a silly story" in order to communicate a negative message about the country.
He said those same elements were the ones who had spread stories about South African politicians receiving kickbacks from German companies in South Africa's controversial arms deal.
"You will get all these negative things. For instance there have been stories that there are some inquiries about the defence acquisition, the so-called arms deal, because there are suggestions of corruption. It's entirely mischievous. Whatever investigations the Germans are doing I am absolutely certain they will find that the contracts given to the German companies were given properly. They will come to the same findings made by the Auditor-General, the Public Protector and the prosecuting authorities in South Africa," said Mbeki.
While dismissive over negative reports about South Africa's ability to host the World Cup, he acknowledged it would be a "big challenge".
"There's been, by all accounts, a very successful 2006 World Cup. Germany has organised very well, so I think we understand the eyes of the world now turn on South Africa. We have to focus very closely on all elements that concern the preparations for the World Cup, stadiums, transport, communications, security, all of these elements.
"It's going to be demanding work clearly, but the 2010 Local Organising Committee members have been in Germany the whole of this month seeing what the Germans have been doing. Indeed, they have been visiting Germany even before that to see the preparations.
"There's quite a lot of experience that has already been accumulated. The German 2006 Organising Committee, led by Franz Beckenbauer, has said to us it's available to assist and to communicate its experience to us. So it's a challenging thing, but it will be done."
The responsibility of hosting a successful 2010 World Cup in South Africa "is a challenge which faces the whole country", Mbeki said.
"The Local Organising Committee in the first instance has the primary responsibility to see we're properly organised. That includes the government. Everybody in the country should see themselves as participants, as contributors to this effort to ensure we do indeed host a successful World Cup. We should all of us, business, trade unions and everybody else, as a nation treat it as a common project," said Mbeki.
He said Fifa president Sepp Blatter's statement that there had already been more sponsorship revenue raised by Fifa for 2010 than for the 2006 World Cup, was a "clear statement by the market of its confidence in South Africa".
"We now have to live up to that confidence. The confidence is expressed because South Africa has shown the world how to handle what was a difficult situation.
"Various people expected the country to collapse and to erupt in a racial war (after the end of apartheid). It didn't.
"People expected a lot of antagonism and hostilities in society. That hasn't happened because of deliberate policies to say we are all South Africans together.
"We had a terrible past, but we need to reconcile. This is what the world called a miracle," said Mbeki.
Asked whether it was justified to spend billions on hosting the World Cup when millions in the country needed jobs and houses, Mbeki said the World Cup would help address those challenges and have "a major positive impact with regards to the economy".
"We need both. You can't say stop this one and then we'll do another one tomorrow. Sure, we absolutely need houses, we need to work very steadily to end informal settlements. But we can do both and we will do both," said Mbeki.
It was crucial the country now organised itself properly and deliver on its World Cup promises. "Transport has to be available. It's one of the challenges. Once we say we're ready, willing and want to host the tournament in 2010 and these are the implications, then we have to do it.
"We can't replicate Germany, but I'm sure that what will be done will be sufficient. We need to ensure we have good stadiums, that people can get in and out of the stadiums and around the country, that the global community can watch the matches on good quality television. But as South Africans, let's now believe in ourselves."