/ 3 April 2007

New bid to block construction of Cup stadium

Lawyers have filed papers with the Cape High Court in a fresh bid to block construction of the Green Point Stadium, the Cape Town Environmental Protection Association said on Tuesday.

The association hopes to get an interdict to halt the 68 000-seat, R2,9-billion project, which has been dogged by controversy since its inception.

Association spokesperson Kendal Jarvis said the application was filed on Tuesday morning, and would now be served on the city council and other respondents.

It included a 150-page founding affidavit.

The city’s 2010 spokesperson, Pieter Cronje, said shortly after noon that it had not yet received any papers.

Any delay in the construction process is likely to wreak havoc with the project’s tight deadlines.

In Johannesburg, local organising committee (LOC) chairperson Irvin Khoza told reporters: ”This is the breaking news that we have just received. We have just been told that an interdict would be served on the construction of the stadium.”

Khoza said he did not have more information but had asked the LOC legal team to contact the technical team.

LOC chief executive Danny Jordan said the LOC received an email on the matter just before 1pm.

”As of yet the papers have not been lodged but we understand that they are being drafted. We will only be able to respond after the papers have been served.” — Sapa