The new Green Point Stadium will be built in time for the 2010 Soccer World Cup, Cape Town mayor Helen Zille said on Wednesday.
”No other host city has had to go through as many processes as Cape Town, and no other stadium site in the country is as complex legally, politically, geologically, and financially,” she said at the launch of the 2010 host-city logo.
She said the hard work and perseverance over the past 18 months reflected the seriousness with which Cape Town took its responsibilities as set out in the host city agreement with Fifa.
It had been feared that the stadium might not be completed on time following the reluctance of the City of Cape Town to appoint contractors. The city last year wanted to know who would carry the cost of the stadium.
All host cities are expected to have completed the construction of stadiums by March 2009.
”We are on schedule on the construction site, and have had to extend council’s provisional authorisation for the building work in order to accommodate the advances made,” she said.
She said the city wanted the World Cup to benefit all residents of Cape Town.
”We intend to make this event of lasting benefit to the city and all who live in it. In this regard, our objective is in harmony with that of Fifa,” she said.
”Like Fifa, we have to ensure that 2010 in Cape Town is an enormous success. If it is, it will reflect well on our city and South Africa in the eyes of the international community, improve our global stature and entice more tourism and investment here.”
Zille handed a detailed report on progress as at end May 2007 to Fifa president Joseph Blatter. — Sapa