"He wants to create a good mood for the fans and raise the excitement for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the first on African soil. He is a proud South African and wants to ensure that the world will come together in South Africa," explained Lucas Radebe, South Africa's football icon and close friend of Zakumi.[2]
Facts
"ZA" is a code for South Africa, and kumi means ten in various African languages, so it signifies South Africa 2010. The leopard's birth date coincides with a day known and celebrated as Youth Day in South Africa. The Group A match played between South Africa and Uruguay (Match 17) also coincides with Zakumi's birthday. He turned sixteen on 16 June 2010.[3]
The green and yellow (gold) colours of the character match the colours used in South African sport uniforms and can also be seen in the South Africa national football team's kit.
Andries Odendaal, from Cape Town, created the original character design.[4] The official motto of Zakumi is "Zakumi's game is Fair Play". The motto was seen in the digital advertisement boards during the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, and has also appeared in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[3]
Personality
Zakumi was originally created by Andries Odendaal of Cape Town South Africa and the promotional costume was produced by Cora Simpson.
He is warm-hearted and caring, and wanted to make as many friends as possible. He loves to play football/soccer as it is a great way to connect with others and break down language barriers. He always carries his football around which he uses to invite people to play with him. It's no secret that Zakumi loves football.
At one time, he decided to dye his hair green as he felt it would be the perfect camouflage against the green of the football pitch; a bit like his rosette spots are when hunting in the wilderness! He does have one striking weakness.[2] With all his energy, he requires frequent rests. Occasionally, between performances on stage, he may suddenly fall asleep on the spot at the most random times. But rest assured, these are only short breaks that a leopard of his calibre needs to recharge his batteries.[2]
Life
Over the last years, he has travelled the whole of Africa where the leopard habitat is sufficient in areas that include open savannahs, forests, jungles, mountainous areas, and even deserts.[2]
Controversies
A contract for the manufacture of Zakumi figurines was awarded to a company owned by Dr. Shiaan-Bin Huang, who is an ANC representative member in the South African Parliament.[5][6] The manufacture of the figurines was outsourced to Shanghai Fashion Plastic Products in China.[5] The value of the contract was in excess of US$112 million[citation needed].
Due to concerns over the loss of jobs in the South African manufacturing sector, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) has suggested that more merchandise of 2010 be sourced locally.[7]
The allegation of sweatshop conditions at the Shanghai Fashion Plastic Products factory led to an audit by Global Brands Group (master licensee of the brand FIFA World Cup 2010), which revealed a number of non-compliance issues with policies of GBC.[5] The manufacturer denied the allegations of sweatshop conditions and claimed that the working conditions at the Shanghai Fashion Plastic Products factory were "very good".[8]
