With the 500 day celebrations in full swing, the nine host cities unveiled their 2010 FIFA World Cup™ posters in Mangaung this afternoon, much to the delight of the attending media and dignitaries.

"Today gives me an assurance that the host cities are ready for this tournament. The launching of their posters to brand their cities for this football spectacular is a great success, a success achieved in all of the projects that have been undertaken to date," said the South African Minister for provincial and local government, Sicelo Shiceka in his address to the guests.

Not only does the launch indicate the level of readiness of the host cities but it also shows off the character of the nine host cities. Every city has a unique story to tell and the posters give the city's a platform to tell that story.

The Cape Town poster, depicting the world famous Table Mountain celebrates diversity among its people while Durban shows off its character with bright colours and abundant 'vibe'. For Johannesburg, prosperity is the inspiration behind the city's poster but the city also made sure it included support for the national football team, Bafana Bafana, with green and gold as the colours.

For South Africans the launch of the posters is not just a marketing campaign. The posters are there to remind all South Africans that this is their World Cup.  "South African's have to be part of this. The poster launch should be seen as an opportunity for all South Africans to increase their awareness and knowledge around the World Cup," said Shiceka.