Stadium fight may go to court

2006-04-11 22:11

Cape Town - A packed meeting on Tuesday evening voiced concern, including litigation, about a proposed Green Point stadium catering for Cape Town's 2010 Soccer World Cup ambitions.

"The entire process will be subjected to a long and drawn out process in the courts... (and) no sod will be turned," said David Polovin, a member of the Green Point coalition and ratepayers association.

Tuesday's meeting was the first public forum gathering called by independent consultants conducting an environmental impact assessment (EIA).

The assessment will look at the impact of the proposed 68 000 seat stadium, as well as the proposed Granger Bay boulevard, an urban park and associated electricity infrastructure.

Among the possible identified impacts were those affecting stormwater management, aesthetics, noise, public transport, waste management and public transport.

Wouter Basson

Polovin - one of a number of individuals, including apartheid era chemical warfare expert Dr Wouter Basson, members of football and athletics clubs, ratepayers associations and body corporates to attend to the meeting - said to applause that it seemed as if the development was being presented as a "fait accompli".

Speaking to Sapa later, Polovin said the coalition was not rushing into anything and was gathering facts.

"The only democratic defence that is open to us is that of fighting for our lives through the court," Polovin said, denying they were holding the country to ransom.

Bob Goebel, chairperson of the Probus Association of the Western Cape, gave a double-edged compliment, praising the presentation as "highly professional, beautifully put. I almost said a con job".

He was one of several on the evening who raised concerns about why the centrally-located Culemborg site, approved for the city's 2004 Olympic bid, or Wingfield, was not considered for the new multi-purpose stadium.

JP Smit, a councillor in the area, said it was imperative for the EIA to be broadened so that it looked at alternative venues.

He also proposed that temporary stands be seriously considered, which could be packed off to other areas, such as Khayelitsha, when needed.

Green Point was controversially chosen ahead of the Newlands and Athlone stadiums, despite not being officially punted in government's initial bidding book to Fifa.

Earlier, city officials went through the process leading up to site being identified by Fifa officials.

Use public transport

Teral Cullen, the city's 2010 local organising committee director, said the city was committed to hosting a semi-final match, with continental hopes of hosting another soccer world cup falling to Africa only after 2034.

She said some 300 000 international visitors, and an additional 100 000 African country non-ticket holders were expected, contributing about R21bn to South Africa's gross domestic product.

Ron Haiden, a city transport official, said the plan was to get 80% of the people to use public transport by 2010, with "reasonable walking distances" between the stadium and city transport nodes encouraged.

His suggestion that Cape Town has one of Africa's best inner-city railway networks was ridiculed, with one, interjecting after an old woman related how her friend was recently mugged, saying to suppressed laughter that "you can't walk to the stadium" because of crime.

The submission of the final environmental impact report was scheduled for the end of July.

- SAPA