Mpumalanga 2010 stadium under construction

The construction of a R600 million stadium in Mpumalanga to host some of the matches during the 2010 Soccer World Cup has started, Premier Thabang Makwetla confirmed on Tuesday.

"The construction of the stadium is underway and is ahead of schedule," Mr Makwetla told the provincial legislature in response to questions on the province's preparedness in this regard.

The stadium is to be situated on community-owned land in Mataffin outside Nelspruit.

Mr Makwetla said the Provincial 2010 Master Plan had been ratified by the 2010 Political Task Team and the Executive Council, and was ready for implementation.

"Mpumalanga's plan was ratified by the Executive Council during a sitting on 6 September," he said.

The master plan engages various sectors in the preparations for the world cup.

The sectors concerned are Economic Investment and Tourism; Infrastructure; Stadium and Related facilities; Health and Disaster Management and Emergency Medical Services (EMS); Safety and Security; Sports Architecture; Funding and Legacy Projects.

Legacy projects are those being built for use during the tournament to benefit the area beyond 2010. They include the stadium, an international convention centre, and rail and road improvements.

To cater for the expected increases in tourists, the provincial government intends expanding the provision of accommodation.

Mr Makwetla said the Department of Economic Development and Planning had already interacted with hotel groups, encouraging them to build new hotels and other forms of accommodation in targeted areas.

A record 7.4 million tourists visited South Africa last year, up from 6.9 million the year before.

Direct spending by foreign and domestic tourists amounted to R74.6 billion last year, while the industry created 478 630 new jobs, up from 465 710 in 2004.

- BuaNews