|
2010: Tshwane 'will be ready'
04/12/2007 17:26 - (SA)
Pretoria - The City of Tshwane will be ready to host the 2010 Fifa World Cup spectacle, Mayor Gwen Ramakgopa said on Tuesday.
"We are confident that we are on track," she said, adding that Loftus Versveld, Giant and the Super stadiums would be ready for matches in 2010.
She was addressing journalists at a press club briefing in Pretoria about the city's readiness to host the event.
Touching on the issue of transport, Ramakgopa said the municipality soon would acquire 200 news buses that would replace the current fleet.
She said the Bus Rapid Transit system (BRT) - a network of buses travelling along dedicated bus ways, costing about R1.9bn - would be ready for commuters by 2010.
" The BRT transport system which will go through Hatfield will be ready for 2010 to serve about 40 000 commuters on any given day," she said.
Attracting business
The BRT system would be financed with "support from government and private resources".
She added that the taxi industry would not be left out as it would also have a stake in the BRT. The newly renovated Bloed street taxi rank was expected to be opened next year.
The Smart City project, which would provide the municipality with advanced technology such as broadband and wireless technology, was also on course with the municipality ready to call for tenders.
This would ensure that the City would be able to deliver services to residents as well as attract business.
"This will improve our capacity to improve delivery of services and we will look at issues of improving the billing system and to serve people in better ways," Ramakgopa said.
She said the City would benefit from the Smart City project as it would create space for innovation that would attract business.
Referring to load shedding the mayor said that although the municipality relied on Eskom, she was confident the City would have all the energy it required for 2010.
Two logos to be used
"We will comply. We need to use energy responsibly; we don't have much of it. We need to support the minister's call to use electricity much more effectively."
On the issue of whether the City's World Cup logo would either display Pretoria or Tshwane, Ramakgopa said the City as well as the Fifa local organising committee had agreed on using both names.
"We agreed with the committee to use two logos... for the international audience to use both for the sake of location. One logo will have Tshwane (the name) while the other has Tshwane and Pretoria," she said.
|
News
