The City of Cape Town could host a Formula One Grand Prix as early as 2014, if Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula would just agree to a meeting with the Cape Town Grand Prix SA organising committee.

The streets of Cape Town would play host to one of the most spectacular settings for a race, and the marketability of such an event wouldn’t be difficult to justify.

But, according to Cape Town Grand Prix’s spokesperson, Esther Henderson, they just can’t get a meeting with Minister Mbalula, despite numerous attempts.

Formula One boss, Bernie Ecclestone, has already endorsed the idea, and said last year that Cape Town could host a Grand Prix “within two years”.

The committee would need government’s backing for the event before they would be able to present a bid to host a Formula One race.

Because of the time delay in scheduling a meeting with Mbalula, Henderson explained that 2014 would now be a more realistic goal:

We still have not had a meeting with government … we need them to have a say in the matter.

Paena Galane, Department of Sport and Recreation spokesman, told the media yesterday that the department would not make any “public pronouncements” on the matter until after it had met the local organising committee.

They [Cape Town Grand Prix SA] have to come and make a presentation to us. The minister has said we cannot put the cart before the horse when it comes to bidding to host such events. Each federation that bids to host an event has to follow the hosting guidelines.

Please Mr Mbalula, just agree to the meeting.

[Source: BusinessDay]