Soccer World Cup 2010
Moses Mabhida Stadium
The stadium in Durban being used for the Fifa World Cup 2010 is called the Moses Mabhida Stadium (during planning phases it was called the King Senzangakhona Stadium).
Fixtures for the World Cup
Here's the match schedule for the 2010 Soccer World Cup:
13 Jun |
16 Jun |
19 Jun |
22 Jun |
25 Jun |
28 Jun |
7 Jul |
D1 v D2 |
H1 v H2 |
E1 v E3 |
B2 v B3 |
G4 v G1 |
E1 v 2F(5) |
B v D(1) |
Photos
Old Soccer Stadium |
King Senzangakhona Stadium - architectural photos |
King Senzangakhona Stadium
Kings Park stadium in the eThekwini Metro (encompassing Durban) is being rebuilt for the Soccer World Cup and renamed "King Senzangakhona Stadium". Mr Ndebele says the Durban stadium will be a multi-purpose facility, so that it could be used for other purposes in the future. The delegation hopes to convince countries that would be participating in the 2010 tournament to use the Kwazulu-Natal as their camp base during training - "If we can get at least four countries to be in our province for that period there would be a lot of revenue generated and opportunities for people living in the province. That is why we will use this trip to urge them to consider the offer".
Name
The stadium is named after the Zulu King Shaka’s (a famed Zulu chief in the 19th century) father, King Senzangakhona.
Jobs created
It is estimated that the building of the stadium would create more than 13 000 jobs.
Situated
The stadium is to be situated in Durban next to the existing 40,000-seat ABSA Stadium (home of the rugby Sharks). The King Senzangakhona Stadium will sit where the old King's Park Soccer Stadium was, fronting on to Walter Gilbert Road.
Arch
A 30-storey arch is planned, stretching across the stadium's entire length. The arch will be 100m high.
Dimensions
The stadium will cover 320m x 280m and will be 45m in height.
Cost
"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out that the city cannot afford it."
It was initially estimated that the rebuilding of the stadium would cost R1.6bn, but other costs such as the demolition of the old King's Park Stadium where the 70 000- seater stadium will be built have pushed the cost to R1.893 billion. Details about how the stadium's construction will be financed have not been made known.
Seating
The new stadium will seat about 70 000 spectators.
Athletics track
The stadium will have an athletics track around the pitch.
Underground parking
The stadium will have underground parking for 10 000 cars.
Plans to build a 70 000-car underground parking facility next to the stadium have also have been given the go-ahead. The parking facility will stretch back to Argyle Road underneath the existing railway shunting yards and be topped by a park.
Building timeline
Physical demolition of the old Kings Park Soccer Stadium started in July 2006. The southern pavilion was demolished on the 8th July 2006, the northern pavilion on the 12th July 2006 and the remainder of the stadium was demolished on the 25th July 2006. Work on the new stadium is expected to begin in November 2006.
The building of the stadium is expected to go out to tender by September 2005, and construction is expected to be "substantially finished" by December 2008, with the final touches following shortly afterwards so it can be handed over in 2009 for the Confederation Cup that will precede the Soccer World Cup 2010 (although rumour has it that Durban will not get an opportunity to stage a Confederation Cup match).
Tender process
Details of the tender process or consortia were not immediately available. Six consortiums were short-listed in April 2006 and made their final submissions on 29th May 2006. The winning Ibhola Lethu consortium had a German connection as well as a strong black empowerment contingent.
Parties involved in building the stadium
The Ibhola Lethu consortium’s lead consultants were Iliso Consulting Engineers, Ibuya Consulting Engineers, Schlaich Bergermann & Partners, LSG International and others. Structural and civil engineering will be carried out by Goba, PD Naidoo & Associates and SLB Consulting, while Osmond Lange Architects will be responsible for architectural work. Electrical engineering will be carried by Igoda Projects, Khanyisa Africa and Palace Consulting.
Recycling rubble from the old Kings Park Soccer Stadium
More than 400 tons of steel and 40,000 bricks were recovered from the old soccer stadium. The old concrete will be crushed and used as fill for the base of the new stadium. It is planned to recycle most of the steel as well as grass, topsoil, masts, control gear and precast seating (some will be reused at stadiums in other parts of Durban).
Is the stadium financially viable?
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"Durban, however, is a prime example of competition between the sporting codes showing a victory for politics over sense. The King Senzangakhona Stadium will be built for close to R2-billion on the site of the existing King's Park soccer ground opposite the Absa stadium. This means that there will be two 50 000-plus-seater venues across the road from each other. Infrastructure limitations, such as security and parking, means it will be nearly impossible to host major rugby and soccer matches simultaneously. So one of these giant venues will perforce stand empty when the other hosts a game." Lungile Madywabe - Business Day - 2006-10-23 |
Brian van Zyl |
"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out that the city cannot afford it, particularly for an event which will span only six weeks. Although the Absa Stadium is not new, it is fully paid for. Maintenance is our biggest expense...Our first priority is the sustainability of the Natal Sharks (Pty) Ltd. Unless the city can guarantee the income we are currently receiving, based on an escalation of 5 percent a year, we will not consider moving to the new stadium." Brian van Zyl, CEO of the Natal Sharks |
Michael Tarr |
"Local officials are hoping for a World Cup semifinal and that is why the King Senzangakhona stadium is costing so much. But what happens after the match is finished? Yes, we know Pirates and Chiefs fans will fill it up three or four times a year and the rock concerts will continue to land in Durban. But who else is going to pull in 70 000 fans? Perhaps the Sharks can at least get halfway to that mark during the rugby season." |
Michael Tarr |
"As for Durban I have always been of the opinion that the Absa Stadium should have been upgraded (one of the original suggestions) and made into a complex which could have been just as impressive as the model I keep seeing of the yet-to-be-built new stadium just across Walter Gilbert Road. Of course I will be shot down in flames by every local politician and some soccer officials but I stand by what I say." |
Logie Naidoo |
"People should understand that the stadium will not be a facility for the World Cup only. It has been designed in such a way that it will be used after the soccer tournament. The fact that the stadium has features such as an athletics track and a very high skywalk for tourists means that it will be used after the tournament." eThekwini's Deputy Mayor Logie Naidoo |
Steven Haag |
"People are not focusing on what is going to happen after 2010. What will Durban do with the stadium after the World Cup? The Friday night Sharks game only had 11 000 spectators. The Scotland game and Robbie Williams's concert had only 35 000 spectators each. We need to be told about the running costs per year after the World Cup. I am all for the World Cup, but I don't believe that having two stadiums is financially viable." Steven Haag (who provides hospitality services to the South African Football Association and the Sharks at Absa Stadium, which is just a few metres away from where the new stadium is to be built) |
Central Park of Africa
The King Senzangakhona Stadium will anchor an area that includes the "Central Park of Africa".
King Shaka International Airport
Plans are under way to construct a new airport, King Shaka International Airport, at La Mercy (30km north of Durban). Negotiations about decommissioning the existing Durban airport are underway with the Airports Company South Africa.
There is some controversy over the building of this new airport as the site, Mount Moreland reedbed near Durban, lures more than three million swallows to roost every night. The reedbed lies on the flight path of aircraft that will arrive and depart from the proposed La Mercy airport and it is feared the reedbed will be cleared because the birds could threaten aircraft safety. In the evenings, the swallows swoop and dive over the before plunging down to night-time safety in dense vegetation. Many of the swallows are thought to migrate to Europe to breed.
Walter Gilbert Road
Walter Gilbert Road will be paved and commercialised. The road will be closed as a pedestrian thoroughfare during events.
Statement from eThekwini's Mayor : 15 May 2004 (pushing for Kings Park)
Statement from the eThekwini's Mayor : 15 June 2006
Statement from the Kwazulu-Natal's Premier : 15 June 2006
2014 Commonwealth Games Bid
According to News24.co.za the new stadium equips the city to bid for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Cricket
The stadium will unfortuanately not be able to accommodate cricket matches.
Beachfront fan zone
There are plans to transform the beachfront from uShaka Marine World to Blue Lagoon into a world cup fan zone. The beachfront fan zone will have direct pedestrian access to the landscaped beach on the site of the old Seaworld and Lido.
KwaZulu Natal playing host to 4 nations?
In an article in the Daily News on the 24th August 2006, KwaZulu-Natal Premier S'bu Ndebele said that 4 countries have confirmed that they would use the KwaZulu-Natal as their base for Soccer World Cup 2010.
Homework done before the building
No less than the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Sbu Ndebele, led a delegation (including Transport MEC Bheki Cele, Arts, Culture and Tourism MEC Weziwe Thusi) that left for Europe (England, France & Germany) on the 4th April 2006 to gather advice on how best the Kwazulu-Natal province can best prepare for the 2010 Fifa World Cup, for which Kwazulu-Natal is guaranteed to host one of the semi-final events. The delegation is visiting the Olympic Stadium in Munich (Germany), which is the host of the FIFA world cup this year and the Wembley Stadium in England.
Links
References
29 Sept 2006 |
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12 Sept 2006 |
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24 August 2006 |
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25 July 2006 |
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26 July 2006 |
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19 July 2006 |
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12 July 2006 |