Grinaker says no NKoreans involved in Soccer City

Construction group Grinaker-LTA, a subsidiary of The Aveng Group, which is responsible for the construction of the Soccer City stadium in partnership with Interbeton and Cimolai SpA, on Monday categorically rejected claims that North Korean workers have been involved in the construction of the stadium.

The group said that speculation arising from various reports out of North and South Korea on Monday was inaccurate.

Soccer City Project Director, Mike Moody of Grinaker-LTA commented; "Ninety-eight percent of workers that played a role in the construction of the stadium were South Africans.

"In instances where skills were not readily available, international workers were employed through our partnerships with Interbeton of the Netherlands and Cimolai SpA of Italy, although none of these were from Korea."

The Aveng Group and Grinaker-LTA are committed to sustainability beyond the building of the stadium, which is a significant addition to the Johannesburg landscape.

"Soccer City has contributed R512 million worth of procurement investments to broad-based black economic empowerment companies and a total of 4,700 job opportunities for the local community," Moody added.