Nelspruit optimistic over 2010
2005-12-08 14:49
Sizwe samaYende
Nelspruit - The Mbombela municipality is so sure that it will be appointed to host some of the 2010 Soccer World Cup, that it is going ahead with plans to hire project staff.
The Mbombela council recently took a resolution to advertise for a project manager and a team to hammer out a plan for the games.
Mbombela spokesperson Bessie Pienaar confirmed that the council was optimistic and was preparing to build a R335m state-of-the-art soccer stadium in Nelspruit.
The envisaged stadium will accommodate 40 000 spectators and serve the whole of Mpumalanga.
"There are very good indications that Nelspruit will be appointed as one of the host cities after [deputy municipal manager Roelf Kotze] attended a meeting in Johannesburg on the weekend," Pienaar said.
The council has also resolved that a social facilitator should be appointed to help the Matsafeni community, on whose land the stadium will be built.
The precinct plans for the stadium will include township development for the community.
Mbombela will also allocate R1.8m from its own budget for a transportation study. The national transport department will refund the municipality later.
The South African Football Association (Safa) has announced that the host cities will be announced in March next year.
Mbombela authorities have also said that even if Nelspruit does not win the bid, plans to build a provincial stadium would continue.
- African Eye