It has been 31 months since South Africa won the right to host the 2010
Soccer World Cup and finally a sod has been turned for the building process
to commence on a stadium for the global showpiece.
Construction work on the 43 500 seater Mbombela Stadium outside Nelspruit
will start in earnest early next year. Sepp Blatter, the FIFA president,
said: "We trust South Africa, and ask them now, Danny, can you take
a few spades and pickaxes that we have here, so holes can start being
dug and so stadiums can start to rise." But his call has been answered,
soon earthworks will begin at the site for the R920 million sports facility
set to be ready for use early in 2009.
Danny Jordaan says next year they will see the construction beginning
and will monitor the project over the next two years to make sure that
Nelspruit is ready in 2010. But it is not expected to be a smooth ride.
A shortage of cement and other building material could slow the process,
but the people of Mpumalanga will strive to deliver on their 2010 promise.
Huge economic spin-offs for Mpumalanga
Joe Phaahla, the director general of the department of sport and recreation,
says the funding is available. The Mbombela Stadium could host up to four
first-round matches during the World Cup which will have huge economic
spin-offs for the region.
There will be ten in nine host cities. Apart from Mbombela, three other
new stadia will be built.The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in PE, King Senzanga-khona
Stadium in Durban, and a new Greenpoint Stadium in Cape Town. A legal
wrangle could delay the start of construction of the Green Point stadium.
The remaining six will be upgraded or improved. They are in Rustenburg,
Bloemfontein, Tshwane, Polokwane and two in Johannesburg. Five of the
venues must be ready for the 2009 Confederation's
Cup.
,
December 11, 2006.
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