If 2010 Local Organising Committee chairperson Irvin Khoza had his way, the Fifa World Cup opening ceremony would be hosted in Durban and not Johannesburg.
”I wish the opening ceremony would be hosted here in Durban but that decision doesn’t lie with me. The city has done tremendous work in preparing for the 2010 World Cup,” said Khoza.
He was speaking at the vibrant celebration of the completion of the 350m-long arch of the Moses Mabhida stadium on Saturday night in Durban.
Not that Johannesburg is incapable of hosting a slick, successful opening ceremony, but most guests in Durban were taken aback by what they saw at Saturday’s launch.
Traffic around the stadium came to a halt on the night as passers-by tried to catch a glimpse of the fireworks and the laser show, which painted Durban’s skyline in brilliant shades of red, green and pink.
”Wow” was all you could hear as the crowds were stunned by the visual display.
”Imagine what the opening ceremony will be like,” one onlooker beamed.
It was fitting that the event was hosted on Valentine’s Day as people really ”fell in love” with the Moses Mabhida stadium.
Julie-May Ellingson who heads Durban’s strategic projects unit and the city’s preparations for 2010, said the completion of the arch is a major milestone.
”This is an event which we’ve eagerly looked forward to for many months. This is proof that we are well on track.”
The stadium’s arch consists of 56 separate 10m pieces and stands 106m high. It weighs 3 500 tonnes and is symbolic of the South African flag.
The two legs on the southern side of the stadium come together to form a single footing on the northern side, symbolising unity of a once divided nation.
Standing 30 storeys tall, the arch is said to be the same height as John Ross House, one of Durban’s tallest buildings.
The arch will also support the stadium roof, which will consist of teflon-coated glass fibre membranes.
In total the roof will have a surface area of 46 000 square metres and will be suspended from the arch by 95mm-diameter steel cables and secured around the perimeter of the stadium by an 880m steel compression ring.
Durban officials believe the arch will give the city a landmark similar to Sydney’s Opera House, New York’s Statue of Liberty and Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer.
The stadium, which will host first- and second-round matches and a semifinal, will be able to seat 70 000 fans.