The eThekwini municipality hoped this week to announce the winning tender for construction of the new 70 000-seater stadium for the 2010 Fifa World Cup, city manager Michael Sutcliffe said at the weekend.

The city is still locked in discussions with the national treasury about the funding of the capital and operating costs of the stadium because of rising construction costs. This follows an 11th-hour cancellation of a press briefing to announce the winning tender on December 15.

The city would face tough choices in the new year about what it was going to be able to afford in terms of infrastructure for the event once the treasury responded to the city's formal business plan, Sutcliffe said.

The treasury still had to respond to the city's business plan, submitted in August, which outlined a range of projects and programmes, including timeframes and budgets, he said.

"I am worried that while the cities have indicated that they have capacity to deliver and understand fully the implications of what we have agreed to produce in four years' time, the same cannot always be said of other key decision makers," he said.

A draft urban design framework plan has been prepared for the stadium precinct and work is under way. Railway carriages and infrastructure have been removed so the area can be converted into a "people's park" with an underground car park able to hold 3,500 vehicles.

"We have identified a number of key transport projects required to deliver on our 2010 World Cup obligations. Early next year expect final decisions to be made on what can and cannot be done," Sutcliffe said.

The Western Freeway is due for completion near the middle of next year and will help bring public transport or high-occupy vehicles from the west into Durban.

Business Day
Publisher: I-Net Bridge
Source: I-Net Bridge