Looking across the vast assembly of containers in red dust and the concrete tiers surrounding it, it is hard to believe that the sprawling construction site below is Soweto’s FNB Stadium and that it will be ready to host the 2010 World Cup opening ceremony.
But the stadium is on target for completion ”well before the Fifa deadline” of December 2009, says Stan Aarts, technical manager of the joint-venture team behind the reconstruction of the stadium.
Grinaker-LTA and Dutch company Interbeton are carrying out the redevelopment, under the ownership of the city of Johannesburg.
Aarts — who hails from The Netherlands and is an Interboten representative — points out the ”old” stadium was almost entirely hollowed out, so that it could measure up to Fifa’s stringent requirements and incorporate the necessary upgrades.
The materials
Ultimately the building is intended to look like an ”African calabash, on a ring of fire”.
This vision, however, will be realised only when the enormous new roof, along with 38 000 square metres of cladding, surrounding the structure is in place. Each piece is unique and, according to Aarts, it comes in 16 different textures.
The roof’s construction began in June with the raising of the first 54-tonne steel A-frame that will support it. A further 7 000 tonnes of structural steel, manufactured by Italian company, Cimolai, will be used.
Locally based steel fabricator DSE is also manufacturing components for the roof. It is a mammoth task, one that requires a special imported crane from Austria.
Despite the apparent foreign involvement in the stadium’s construction, Aarts says that the joint-venture team has ensured that they contract as much as possible from local companies.
”It’s better to keep the money in South Africa,” he says, ”and our risk management is better.”
The supply of the 94 000 seats to the stadium is an example of how the production of certain components has been moved to South Africa.
A contractor from the United Kingdom supplies the seats, says Aarts, but the components are made in South Africa. The contractor has in fact decided to move all of its production here. ”It’s a good example of how the local economy benefits from the stadium work,” says Aarts.
The initial cost of the stadium was R2,1-billion. But with soaring steel and energy prices and high inflation, he says that a hike in production costs is unavoidable.
Steel alone has risen 80% since January. The stadium will use 65 000 cubic metres of concrete; for every cubic metre, about 100kg of steel rebar is used for reinforcement.
The increased cost of procuring materials should see the stadium’s final cost increase to R2,4-billion.
The labour
About 2 500 people keep the construction on track, but the labour force will peak at about 3 000 as the stadium nears completion.
The joint-venture operation is obliged to source most of its labour from the area.
It has targeted 800 local men and women for skills training. Aarts says it offers training in certain construction skills, after which labourers can work at the stadium or seek employment elsewhere should they choose.
Unlike a number of other stadiums under construction, the FNB Stadium has managed to avoid strike action. At venues such as the Free State Stadium and the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, strike action has severely hampered production.
Aarts attributes the stability to intermediate agreements with the unions to accommodate the price increases eating away at workers’ pay.
The region
Ultimately, the whole area around the stadium should benefit from development. On the borders of Soweto and adjacent to the Nasrec show grounds, the stadium should offer a sustainable economic boost to the region.
It can accommodate more than 25 000 cars, says Aarts, but that is not nearly enough for the 90 000-plus people it is intended to hold.
The construction of a new train station alongside the stadium to accommodate more spectators is already under way.
Commuter rail in South Africa is not known for its efficiency. The rail should deliver 20 000 commuters to the venue, but that will depend on the running of the rest of the transport network.
But progress on the road network in the area is well under way, according to Sammy Mafu, spokesperson for the Johannesburg Development Agency, the organisation responsible for upgrading the precinct.
Work is complete on both the Nasrec and Rand Show roads, he says. The closest leg of the Rea Vaya transports system is complete and ready for use, while the construction of the new Golden Highway will begin next month.
