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Ellis Park renovations 40% complete - Mayor

Article Published: Saturday 15 September 2007

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Johannesburg - Johannesburg Mayor Amos Masondo says renovations to Ellis Park Stadium are about 40 percent complete, adding that much progress has been made in and around the city in preparation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The mayor, flanked by a number of local soccer heroes from years gone by, including Doctor Khumalo, made a brief appearance in Soweto's Mofolo Park on Saturday at Johannesburg's 1 000 Days countdown to the games.

Although the 1000th day fell on Friday, 14 September, national celebrations from the Union Buildings in the capital and their other eight host cities, were held on Saturday.

Challenging South Africans, the mayor said, "As we celebrate this countdown we need to ask ourselves the question, what are we doing as individuals and groups in our land to ensure that 2010 will be the success that it can be?"

Mr Masondo said the city's preparations for 2010 were in progress and that developments for the prestigious tournament were "steaming right ahead."

Modern day South Africa, said the mayor, has inherited a legacy of inequality from the past, with the northern half of Johannesburg blessed with an abundance of trees, whilst in the south there are hardly any trees.

To address the situation and ultimately improve the aesthetics of city, the mayor said the council will be planting about 200 000 trees in the south of Johannesburg in the build up to 2010.

This is part of the Greening Soweto Legacy Project, only one of many projects set to benefit the nation with improvements to infrastructure such as roads and public amenities, long after the final whistle sounds on 11 July, 2010.

Elsewhere in the city, in the Newtown precinct, South African artists including Dozi, Anton Goosen en die Bushrock Band, Amanda Strydom, Johnny Dopper en die Rubber Soles, Snotkop, Jennifer Jones and the Soweto String Quartet joined in marking the milestone on the road to 2010.

World Cup fixtures will be played in ten stadia, distributed across nine cities. Five of these arenas are being renovated to comply with FIFA's requirements, while the other half are being built from scratch.

Construction has started on all the five arenas to be newly built.

Renovations to four of the stadiums set to host 2010 fixtures would be complete by December 2008.

These stadiums are Vodacom Park in Mangaung, Royal Bafokeng in Rustenburg, Loftus stadium in Pretoria and Ellis Park in Johannesburg.

Those who will be completed by October 2009 are Mbombela in Nelspruit, Peter Mokaba (Polokwane), Nelson Mandela Bay, Green Point (Cape Town) Moses Mabhida (Durban) and the Soccer City in Johannesburg.

Billions have already been committed by government for upgrading infrastructure, with the bulk of developments taking place in the host cities.

To date R17.4 billion has already been made available to the different provinces for use in the construction and revamping of stadiums.

Crucial milestones in the 2010 preparations' timeline include meeting the deadline for the completion of stadiums and transport infrastructure.

Government has also indicated that all developments, transport infrastructure in particular, is not only aimed at 2010, but well beyond in an effort to create sustainable infrastructure growth. -
 
By Michael Appel BuaNews




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