Zambia has lauded South Africa for it successful hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the Zambia Daily Mail reported on Monday.

South Africa successfully hosted the World Cup from June 11 to July 11, the first time the world soccer showpiece was held on the African soil and the country had been praised for the way it organized the event.

President Rupiah Banda said in a letter to South African President Jacob Zuma through his special assistant for press and public relations Dickson Jere that the hosting of the World Cup was testimony to South Africa's capacity to host events of global magnitude.

"It is with utmost joy that I congratulate you, your government and the people of South Africa on the successful hosting of the just-ended 2010 World Cup in your beautiful country. This success has not only provided indisputable evidence of your country's capacity to host events of any magnitude, but also made Africa, especially, proud," Banda was quoted as saying by the paper.