Legal and technical experts from the Western Cape provincial government and the City of Cape Town met on Thursday to discuss a way forward on the city’s proposed 2010 Soccer World Cup stadium.
The meeting came as verbal sniping continued over the province’s claim that a bungle by the city in the approvals process has delayed the construction of the R2,9-billion project.
Mayor Helen Zille said the experts were seeking a way to ”resolve the development approvals” required for the construction and would continue their work on Friday.
”Procedural difficulties around the rezoning for the Green Point stadium can be overcome and I am confident a way forward will be found between the City of Cape Town and the provincial government,” she said.
She also said the controversy was a ”political storm in a teacup”.
”Several months ago, I met with the premier [Ebrahim Rasool] and we agreed on a step-by-step process on the statutory approvals required for Green Point Common and the construction of the new stadium. The City has met every one of its obligations by the required deadline.”
She said there was nothing stopping provincial planning minister Tasneem Essop from making a decision on the city’s rezoning application.
It appeared that the province’s motive was to try to force the city to agree to the establishment of a special purpose vehicle (SPV) in which it could have joint control of the 2010 project.
Zille said the city had no problem with working jointly with the province, but could not agree to a separate SPV because the National Treasury, Fifa and the Local Organising Committee had entered into contracts with cities, not provinces, for 2010.
”We are therefore accountable and responsible and cannot delegate this responsibility to a special purpose vehicle,” she said.
”The premier and the province should stop trying to take over 2010. They should put their pride in their pocket and continue working productively in partnership with the city as we have up till now.”
Earlier on Thursday Independent Democrats leader in the city council Simon Grindrod said Zille would be to blame if Cape Town lost the semifinal planned for the stadium.
”I’m holding Helen Zille personally responsible if we lose the [Soccer] World Cup [event], because her first act as mayor was to halt the planning process,” he said.
”She was trying to appease her support base, and it’s all backfired.”
He called on Zille to summon an urgent council meeting to resolve the matter.
Chairperson of the Federated Hospitality Association of SA, Nils Heckscher, said in a statement that the province, city and ”all decision-making bodies” should get their act together, and put an end to the delays threatening the stadium.
”Decision makers and all role-players need to see the bigger context,” he said.
”This is about economic growth opportunities and an injection of billions of rands into the city coffers that will not easily be rivalled by any other event.” – Sapa