Work goes on at Soccer City
Ndaba Dlamini
29 January 2008South Africa's electricity shortage and resultant power cuts of the last two weeks have not affected construction work at Soccer City, the venue for the opening ceremony and opening and final matches of the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
"Soccer City has not been affected by any blackouts during working hours, but it may certainly have affected businesses supplying us with construction materials," says Stan Aarts, the technical manager of Grinaker-LTA, the consortium tasked with constructing the stadium.
As a backup measure, the group is looking at "investing" in generators if things do get out of hand, Aarts says.
"We cannot rule out the possibility of the whole construction project suffering a blackout." At the moment the exact number of generators that would be needed to serve the construction site has not been determined.
Work at Soccer City began in early 2007 and is expected to be finished by May 2009, five months ahead of the Fifa deadline. However, if the power cuts continue they will affect the actual construction on site, Aarts says.
He is also concerned that businesses supplying Soccer City with construction materials may be gravely affected if the power cuts continue. This would be felt down the line.
Soccer City is being rebuilt at a cost of R1.5-billion. The contract comprises partially demolishing and completely revamping the stadium as well as providing all associated facilities.
The new Soccer City stadium will have 94 700 seats, which will be covered by a roof, leaving the soccer pitch itself open.
Construction work at stadiums in Durban and Cape Town is also progressing well, with the power cuts edding having only minor effects so far. Generators have been installed on site at Durban's Moses Mabhida Stadium as a power backup.
Source: City of Johannesburg
