The 2003 World Cup will officially be opened by President Thabo Mbeki

President Thabo Mbeki has accepted an invitation to officially open the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 in Cape Town in February.

This was announced today by Dr Ali Bacher, executive director of the CWC, who said he was honoured and delighted at Mr Mbeki's decision.

It will be a busy time for South Africa's president. On Friday February 7, he will deliver his State of the Nation speech at the opening of Parliament and the next evening, February 8, he will be guest of honour at the Opening Ceremony of the CWC at the Newlands cricket ground.

At the conclusion of the two-hour ceremony, which will be televised live to a world-wide audience estimated at 1.25 billion viewers, the President will declare the CWC "officially open".

The next day, Sunday February 9, the opening game of the 54-match tournament will be contested under the Newlands floodlights between South Africa and West Indies.

The ICC Cricket World Cup Opening Ceremony will showcase South African expertise to the world. It will herald the arrival of Stadium Theatre in South Africa in an extravaganza never before seen on the African continent.

Executive producer Penny Jones will have a cast of 4000 in action and the organisers from her Ceremonies for Africa have given the assurance that the entire playing area of the field will be specially covered to prevent any damage ahead of the opening game 24 hours later.

Of the 4000 performers, 80% are black, as will 40% of the management team driving this huge project.

The budget for the Opening Ceremony stands at R23 million, of which between 65-70% will find its way into the hands of previously disadvantaged people who are being contracted to manufacture all the costumes and props.

Capetonian Jones worked on the spectacular opening and closing ceremonies at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Her production team includes Mark West, who has worked on 15 feature films and numerous Miss South Africa and Miss World pageants, Matthews Mokome, a top Mass Display director, Raylene Plaatjies, a world champion Drill Team performer and a field marshal at the Sydney Olympics Opening Ceremony, and Ken Annandale, a top leadership trainer.

They will be assisted by American Doug Jack, the world's leading stadium theatre choreographer who was in charge of the Opening Ceremonies at the Olympic Games of Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney and Salt Lake City, and the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.