​It is my pleasure to congratulate the Springbok Sevens squad for winning the Dubai leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series this past weekend.

It’s also an honour for me to share a stage again with our SA Rugby CEO, Jurie Roux; BlitzBokke coach, Neil Powell; Springbok Sevens captain, Philip Snyman; and one of the stars of the victory in Dubai, Seabelo Senatla.

It’s good to have them back home. Welcome to Cape Town. Capetonians are behind you because they’ll be here at the stadium in their numbers this weekend rooting for you to clinch a win in the Mother City.

​I also want to welcome all of the international and local rugby supporters to our city.

The City of Cape Town is once again honoured to have all players, coaches, team staff and organisers in the most beautiful city in the world. Hosting this event for the past three years has certainly added major credibility to our status as the events capital of Africa.

Sporting events are also an integral part of our efforts to build an inclusive city as they bring people from all over the country together united in their love for sport, creating the extraordinary vibe that only the Sevens can bring.

The Cape Town leg of the Sevens World Series was named as the Best Live Sports Experience in South Africa at the Discovery Sport Industry Awards earlier this year. This is indeed something we can jointly be proud of. The organisers and the fans made this happen.

The past two years of hosting this tournament has added tremendous value to the city and its people who made this one of the top events in Cape Town. Last year was particularly impressive because we had over 115 000 people attending the Cape Town Sevens over the two days.

These numbers have significant economic spin-offs for the city, which means residents get to benefit from us hosting such an enormous global event. 

As Africa’s leading travel destination, we know the ripple effect by way of job creation during the events and after.

The increased spending at our attractions and across the hospitality industry are all a welcome injection into the local economy.

I am confident that our residents and visitors will bring even more energy to make this year’s Cape Town leg the best one yet. The tickets for this year’s tournament were snapped up in two hours – an amazing feat – and we are really excited for another thrilling sold-out affair.

We wish all visitors and teams a wonderful stay in Cape Town.

Finally, but most importantly, Cape Town is in the midst of a severe drought but this doesn’t have to affect our celebrations and spirit. Our residents are working hard with the City to save water and only use water for essential purposes.

We ask that all visitors join us on this mission and Save like a Local. We need everyone’s help to beat this drought.

Please help us save water by adhering to the restrictions, but by all means bring your best to make this year’s HSBC Cape Town Sevens a phenomenal one.

Once again, on behalf of the City of Cape Town, I welcome you.

Good luck to all the teams and special wishes to our champions, the BlitzBoks as they defend their Sevens crown. Cape Town is behind you all the way.

End