World Cup 2010 South Africa

The FIFA World Cup 2010 has put South Africa’s construction industry to work almost from the moment FIFA President Sepp Blatter’s May 2004 announcement in Zurich that the country had been selected to host the world’s most popular sporting event.

Nearly a half million fans are expected to descend on South Africa in support of 32 competing nations in the 19th quadrennial gathering of sport’s premier event that runs from June 11 to July 11 and has been contested every four years since 1930 except during World War Two (1942, 1946).

Already heavily invested with rebuilding and refurbishing infrastructure neglected during apartheid, the country’s construction industry went into overdrive as it became a matter of national pride to meet the demands for improved roads, upgraded public transportation, additional housing and world-caliber stadiums.

And, despite lingering fears and protestations to the contrary by some, President Jacob Zuma declared the nation “definitely ready” to welcome the world at the official opening of the R2,2-billion OR Tambo International Airport Central Terminal Building (CTB) in late April. Expectations are the month-long extravaganza will add R4,9-billion to South Africa’s gross domestic product.

BUILDING THE DREAM
Countless companies have been involved with transforming vision into reality. To ensure that training facilities for each country would be up to snuff, FIFA injected an additional 25 percent ($100 million) in funding in March to bring the organizing committee’s budget to $523 million. Overall, the South African government has spent billions on stadium and transit infrastructure.

Sanyati Holdings (Construction Digital, February, 2010) has been involved in numerous Cup projects. Sanyati Civils Inland was awarded the contract to upgrade Stadium Avenue and National Avenue in front of Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg. The stadium, regarded as the heart of football in South Africa, is located a short distance from the football-crazy township of Soweto, where 40 percent of the city’s population resides.

According to Malcom Lobban, CEO of Sanyati Holdings, “The work entails upgrading the access roads and infrastructure around the stadium and collectively is worth about  R170 million.”

“We’ve had a number of World Cup projects,” adds Lobban. “These projects have provided a unique opportunity for our industry – seven independent construction companies are involved in and around this stadium, which will be the venue for both the opening of the event and the final, and closure of the competition.”

Road and earthworks specialist KPMM (Construction Digital, May, 2010) has been involved with upgrades in and around Polokwane Municipality. “We upgraded a number of roads in the city to present Polokwane during the World Cup together with the newly constructed Peter Mokaba Stadium (constructed by WBHO), which will be hosting a number of matches,” says Director Mike Hickman.

“We were initially awarded a R70 million contract by Polokwane Municipality to upgrade roads, which we completed well within the eight-month construction period. This lead to additional work being given to us amounting to approximately R20 million,” he says.

According to Jaroslaw Slaby, head of the Exports’ Department for Mostostal Zabrze, the Polish firm created the striking membrane façade for the new Green Point Stadium in Cape Town that will serve as one of two semifinal venues. The fiberglass mesh is coated with Teflon and painted silver.

In a speech to the National Treasury on May 11, Deputy Minister of Finance Nhlanhla Nene stated that new construction and refurbishment of the 10 event stadiums has had an R15billion economic impact on the country.

AFTER THE CUP
The run-up to the Cup is prelude to the work left to be done once the champion is crowned and the crowds head home. “There is an enormous backlog in our country in a number of other areas, including energy, transport, water and housing,” says KPMM’s Hickman.

The World Cup has proven to be a springboard for the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) and its efforts to upgrade rail infrastructure and increase mobility and accessibility for commuters. Including R1,7-billion in World Cup projects, Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele says the department will spend R25-billion during the next three years on trains, buses, signaling and general system-wide upgrades.

There can be little dispute that the World Cup has already had an enormous positive impact across South Africa. In the long run, the Rainbow Nation is hopeful of a long-term financial boost that will dwarf the success of the Rugby World Cup it hosted in 1995 on a much smaller scale.