Durban's stadium will be one of the most dazzling in the 2010 World Cup but the brash port's ambition soars even higher, like the spectacular arch spanning the arena with a view across the Indian Ocean.

Former president FW de Klerk is optimistic about a Jacob Zuma presidency, he said in London on Tuesday evening.

South Africa's fourth democratically elected President has called on South Africans to unite and move forward decisively together in a time of renewal for the country.

Speaking after being inaugurated as President at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Saturday, Zuma held a hand out to all South Africans, saying: "Let us build a nation that remains forever mindful of its history, ... of the many who put down their lives so we can be here today.

"A nation filled with the laughter and joy of children. A nation filled with a hope born of the knowledge that, if we work together, we will achieve our dreams."

At the end of his term as UK High Commissioner to South Africa, Paul Boateng is totally positive about the future of the country.

South Africans are among the world’s more optimistic people this year, according to Gallup International’s Voice of the People 2007 - End of the Year Survey.

The overwhelming majority of South Africans is proud to be South African, prefers democracy as a governing system and believes that our democratic system will develop positively in the future.

The majority of American companies in South Africa see the South African business climate as excellent or good, with more than 90% planning to increase investment and hire more staff, according to a survey realeased yesterday.

South Africans are among the most patriotic in the world, according to a report from the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.

Young South Africans feel that they are much better off than previous generations and have high hopes for the future, a survey on class mobility found.

Results of the MasterIndex of Consumer Confidence survey for the first half of 2006 reveal that South Africa consumer confidence has jumped to a two and a half year high and is strongly positive.

Consumer confidence among South Africans increased to the highest level in its recorded history during the first quarter of 2006, signalling a sustained and long economic expansion for the country after five consecutive high level quarter readings of spirited consumer optimism.

Business confidence, as measured by the RMB/BER business confidence index (BCI), not only remained at a high level during the first quarter of 2006, but reversed the one index point decline of the previous quarter. The index rose from 85 to 86 basis points, and remains just below the late 2004 reading of 88, which was the highest level since 1980. Such a long period of uninterrupted positive confidence has not previously been recorded in the 30 year history of the index.

South Africans feel their country is doing a lot better than a year ago when it comes to education, business prospects, media freedom and gender equality, according to data released this week by FutureFact 2006.

South Africa’s youth agree with their elders on one thing at least – that this country faces a brighter future!

If the experts are to be believed, South Africa has much to look forward to in the year to come and South Africans are more optimistic than ever about the country’s future prospects.

South Africa has come out tops in international magazine FDI’s first pan-African Country of the Future competition.

The optimism of South Africa consumers in the future of the economy is well above the global average and higher than the consumer confidence of some of the world’s most powerful nations, according to the latest global online consumer confidence survey from AC Nielsen.

South African youth are optimistic about the future, are forging a clear and powerful South African identity and are in the process of defining our culture and building a society that is colour-unconscious.

South Africa’s youth generation is optimistic, positive about the future and proudly South African.