Cape Town stadium handed over

A handful of construction workers dangled from ropes, and the hum of power tools kept to an easy level as Cape Town Stadium contractors handed their work over to city mayor Dan Plato yesterday.

Despite the 30 degree C heat outside, the temperature was cool inside the 68 000-seat structure. Europe's "The Final Countdown" played over the new sound system.

Plato, city executive director Mike Marsden and co-contractor WBHO's Mike Wylie issued wide congratulations to all involved. "This puts a new meaning to the words 'worth the wait'," Plato said.

Wylie, who oversaw the 32 months that led up to yesterday's tough deadline along with Murray & Roberts' Sean Flanagan, said: "The stadium really got into us, and we didn't want to let it down."

According to the city, the stadium is now "practically complete", although small details still need finishing touches and the pitch still needs a few weeks of growth before it's ready for its opening game on January 23.

He handed a half-metre long silver-painted "key of the door" to Plato, who quipped: "I first need to see the door where that key must fit."

Winemaker Achim von Arnim then popped a bottle of bubbly using a sabre, and hundreds of red, green, blue, yellow, white and black balloons - representing the South African flag - rose from the green pitch into the sky.

While stadium costs were still to be accurately calculated, Marsden said it was worth about R4.5 billion. Some 2 500 workers were involved.

Cape Times

Posted at 07:37AM Dec 15, 2009 by Editor in Market  |  Comments[8]