2009 Confederations Cup: Rustenburg & Johannesburg progress report
Meeting Summary
The City of Rustenburg was cooperating with the Royal Bafokeng Nation on the upgrading of the Royal Bafokeng Stadium and the stadium structure, refurbishments and renovation and external works would all be completed by end February 2009. The city faced a budget shortfall of R141 million and they were hoping that the North West province would come to the rescue. Another challenge was roads infrastructure and they were engaging with the Department of Transport, the Provincial Department and the City of Bafokeng to address those issues.
Members repeatedly raised the importance of legacy projects and the socio-economic benefits to the people. Another concern was that roads in the area were of poor condition and access roads were part of the whole infrastructure. The shortfall was also raised. Could the ground tax from FIFA not be used to meet the shortfall of R141 million?
City of Johannesburg was ready to host the Confederations Cup in June 2009. They were satisfied with the upgrades of the two stadiums in their municipality. Ellis Park would be used for both the Confederations Cup and the World Cup and Soccer City for the World Cup only. Projects were within budget and progress was on track. Detail was provided about the transport and beautification projects as well as the erection of the International Broadcasting Centre in the Soccer City precinct. Four training venues were being upgraded including a new Orlando Stadium. Time remained the greatest constraint; other challenges were the international financial climate, with price escalation and the credit crunch; national elections meant competing needs around service delivery; there were serious challenges around the management of xenophobia and the expatriate community; and last year there was the outbreak of communicable diseases and how to equip clinics and private hospitals to deal with that challenge; and there was the national BRT protest and the pressure accompanying that.
Members emphasised that small businesses must not be neglected in the accommodation industry. There was also concern about the spending of government money on privately owned stadiums. The question of the taxi industry unhappiness with the Bus Rapid Transport System was raised with both cities. They were assued that the taxi industry played a very important and meaningful role in terms of this infrastructure. Other matters raised were the influx of sex workers, and employment of disabled people in construction. Disaster management and the role of the provinces would be clarified in future meetings.
Meeting report
City of Rustenburg presentation
Mr Nketu Matima (Host City Coordinator, Rustenburg Local Municipality) said that the completion of the stadium structure, refurbishments and renovation and external works would all be completed by end February 2009. Mr Matima gave an overview of the stadium design and precinct, the access and egress routes around the stadium and permanent structures.
Host City/Stadium Management/LOC consisted of the Host City Coordinator: Mr Nketu Matima; the Provincial Coordinator: Mr Kennedy Mosiapoa; the District Coordinator: Mr Innocent Sirovha; Stadium Management Mr George Khunou; and Venue Manager Mr Mpho Mokisakeng.
Fan Park for 2009 Confederations Cup and 2010 World Cup would be hosted at Rustenburg Hoer Skool, situated at the main entrance to the city. Parking would be allocated at the Civic Centre, Paul Bodenstein Park and Show Grounds.
The 2010 road shows in the
Bojanala district were working very well with the district municipality and the four local municipalities taking news about 2010 to the people.
The Peace Cup match between Bafana Bafana and Norway was one of the tests to ensure readiness and an opportunity to look at the gaps. It was being launched in Johannesburg on 25 February as a partnership between SAFA and Royal Bafokeng, and would also be used to introduce the stadium and the game to the people of North West. Another test of readiness would be the British and Lions Tour in May. The District Mayoral Cup would also continue.
A key issue in mobilising the people had been through public participation on the by-laws, as people began to engage in the process. Another way to promote the culture of people attending the games was the hosting of major PSL games at Olympia Park. One of the key tournaments was the King’s Cup, which motivated the people from the villages of Bafokeng to take an interest in the Confederations Cup. Leading up to the Confederations Cup, when five countries would be playing in Rustenburg, there would be a car wash project where the car wash teams would be wearing Bafana Bafana T-shirts that would create a hype. The ticket system was a new concept to people and the process would be promoted at the car wash and also at taxi ranks. Public viewing would also be done in the villages of Bafokeng, Bakgatla and Mathope.
The City of Rustenburg had been working together with the government of Botswana and the Botswana Football Association They had had workshops and seminars, and were in the process of doing an awareness campaign and were also using the regional soccer tournaments including teams from Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland. As part of promoting the Confederations Cup and 2010, also integrated the FCC and FWC into the Platinum Stars marketing programme as a team based in the province.
In terms of city beautification, the City was in the process of ensuring that the four main entrances from Magalies, from Tshwane, and from Swartruggens, were beautified so that on entry people would realise they were in the host city. There would be the billboard advertising; the taxi rank was being upgraded, there would be street light advertising and cleaning campaigns.
One of the legacy issues was the volunteer programme, which was about capacity building and building a pool of young volunteers that could be used in future major tournaments in the province. 858 volunteers were required for the Confederations Cup, 1200 candidates were interviewed and training would take place in March and April 2009.
From an infrastructure point of view, the City was building a new Visitors Information Centre, a new waste management plant, a new training venue by the Bakgatla ba Kgafela; the Matale Middle School was being converted into a sports museum; and a new sports campus was being built by the Royal Bafokeng Nation.
Mr Matima briefed the committee on the critical safety and security measures that had been put in place. Ten fire fighters were nominated to undergo training at Sasol and also Hazmat technicians for biological and chemical mass destruction; the municipality purchased a rapid intervention truck and a 4 X 4 fire fighting truck. The disaster management centre was upgraded and resourced, CCTV cameras installed, traffic lights were being erected on the road leading to the Royal Bafokeng Stadium; and special courts were identified for the games where offenders would be tried, one to be located in the Bafokeng Civic Centre.
Mr Matima concluded that one of the challenges was a shortfall of R141 million and they were trusting that the Province would come to the rescue. Another challenge was around roads infrastructure and they were engaging with the Department of Transport, the Provincial Department and the City of Bafokeng to address those issues.
The Chair thanked Mr Matima and said he was pleased that preparations were drawing to a conclusion.
Discussion
Mr M Dikgacwi (ANC) felt it was a pity they hadn’t gone through all the presentation slides. He asked for clarity on the 98% work done at the stadium – what was the benefit to small black contractors and what role they had played there. He felt the Rustenburg Hoer Skool and other such schools were known to be very racist and problems could arise there.
Mr B Solo (ANC) asked whether the roof was going to be only one sided. He noted that access routes were at sixty percent, generally roads there were in poor condition and asked what the capacity was in dealing with that as it was part of the whole infrastructure. He needed the assurance that that would be dealt with as it could have a lot of implications. He asked for clarification as to who was responsible for beautification, the district municipality or local municipality, because he was concerned that they did not seem to be working too hard, whereas there were young people endeavouring to beautify their own little spaces, they should be taken into consideration and encouraged to participate in such programmes.
Mr L Reid (ANC) asked for clarification on whether taxis would be used at the Park and Rides, because that could also be a good opportunity to use local transport. There were a lot of calendar events but only three had some indication of dates, he asked for the others. He was fully in support of the Africa event and it was highly appreciated that South Africa was working with Botswana because it was for Africa. He was concerned about the schools being converted when South Africa had a shortage of schools space. He asked for clarification as to how the shortfall of R141 million was to be met.
Mr J Louw (ANC) was concerned about safety and security. He noted that the US would be playing against Egypt and given the US’s strict attitude to security, were we prepared to secure their teams? While playing in Korea one of the streets had to close and had they had booked an entire hotel because of their security concerns for their teams.
Mr Matima responded that the security sector had taken that into consideration. The USA was adopted as a country and discussions had begun on that. On the issue of Park ‘n Rides, they had discussions with the Taxi Association and bus operators within Rustenburg, there was also the process of the Department of Transport bringing on shuttles. However, it was important to involve the local people and they were looking at Park ‘n Rides from an economic point of view where those young people could mind the vehicles parked there from an income generating point of view. In terms of the Old Matale Middle School and the New Matale Middle School, the education side was not compromised in that the Old Matale Middle School was dilapidated and a new school had been built with better infrastructure and better facilities. Because of the old one’s close proximity to the stadium it was proposed to turn it into a Sports Museum. The issue of the fan park – FIFA had looked at infrastructure and transport – Rustenburg Hoer Skool was positive that they could play a role in contributing to the World Cup so they would be engaging and reach consensus with FIFA. There was willingness and commitment from the school governing body. On the beautification issue, laziness seemed to be a culture in local municipalities that was being rooted out as part of service delivery. There were departments responsible for environment, beautification, community development but they would look at involving young people who were interested in beautifying their own areas to create skills and economic opportunities for them. About the utilisation of the Rustenburg Hoerskool versus Tsitsing, given the history, utilising the Hoerskool would be in the interests of racial reconciliation; also given that the Hoerskool was closer to the stadium than other schools, and that there was a serious financial problem. The Hoerskool would play a role in nation building and reconciliation. There was a willingness and commitment from the school itself, and in the Model C schools the learners wanted to play football, so the transformational issues in sport must be utilised. However, there must be a balance - because communities were saying they should have an opportunity to host some events in the villages. This would also assist in infrastructure backlogs because they would have better roads.
Mr George Khunou (Managing Director: Royal Bafokeng Sports) reported on the benefits from construction of the infrastructure. The stadium had four black owned consultant companies, electrical, mechanical, and so on. With regard to contractors there had been a joint venture with one of the strong construction companies, together with the local contractors, and the small contractors had benefited greatly and would be used in the next contract. In terms of the maintenance, the people who had worked on the Sun [City] project had been signed on as maintenance contractors. Over 800 workers had been employed on the contract and a lot of them would remain to do maintenance work. A lot of women were employed for industrial cleaning and would continue that throughout. The British Lions would be playing at the stadium in May. At the initial stage they did not see the need to roof the whole stadium so had focused only on the western side as it was economically not possible to roof the whole stadium.
The Chairperson interjected that the principle was that the roof on the stadium did not tamper with any of FIFA’s requirements. The member was asking if having half a roof was within the FIFA requirements.
Mr Khunou responded that FIFA had made it quite clear in their initial inspection that there was no need and the roofing on one side of the stadium was sufficient. Referring to the roads, he said that the concentration was mainly to ease the congestion of traffic passing to and from Sun City through Rustenburg. To ease that they had created a new road to the western side taking the traffic away from the new N4 linking up to the road to Sun City so that the traffic would only be allowed on the current roads, the R65, for the traffic coming to the stadium. There was also a ring road around the stadium that was nearing completion, and the upgrading of the road from Pokeng to Sun City. People would be shuttled from the Park ‘n Ride to the stadium. The infrastructure was designed so that traffic around the stadium would be managed for the Confederations Cup.
The Chairperson said there was serious unhappiness among taxi operators in the provinces. Looking at the Confederations Cup and the World Cup, were there any challenges with the taxi organisations in that area, especially considering the shuttles, had any agreement been reached with the taxi associations?
Mr Khunou responded that they had indeed had a consultation with the Taxi Associations, which was to outline the Rapid Transport Network, and how they would fit into that structure. He assured Mr Komphela that taxi drivers would be involved in shuttling the passengers. It was true that North West roads were not that good. The matter had been raised at a meeting with the Premier and the Executive the previous week; the MEC for Transport indicated that he would deal it.
Mr Khunou said that he did not want the beautification project to be viewed as a once-off thing. A plan had been developed that was sustainable for now. It would not be focusing only on the stadium and its precinct, but they were looking broadly areas that would go as far as the training venues to see what could be done there. This was not only insofar as the planting of trees but included picking up litter and running it through a recycling process, which process would be sustained in the future. The community was being involved in the waste management project.
Referring to calendar events, the British Lions were coming on 30 May. Regarding relationships, he reminded members that the Royal Bafokeng Queen Mother came from Botswana, so it was a long-standing relationship.
Three schools were close to the stadium, Matale School was a middle school and the first high school of the Bafokeng. It was decided that the school would become part of the stadium’s legacy project and the learners were relocated to another school, because two other schools close to each other were running at half empty. So one of those was converted into a middle school and classrooms added, the children were taken care of.
It had been identified some months back that they were running at a very serious shortfall financially. The initial budget was R228 million but was now R470 million. This was basically as a result of more requirements from the technical team visiting the stadium, funds came from the Royal Bafokeng Nation and some funding was taken from other projects. He appealed for assistance from government otherwise the stadium would be behind.
The Chairperson said he was not only interested in black businesses, but what benefits were there for emerging businesses. Given the response to the question about the roof, it seemed that it was not going to be business as usual but business unusual. He cautioned that weather conditions had to be taken into account. Even if it was not a requirement, it was still only half a job. He related the chaotic conditions they had experienced in Egypt. He also did not believe that the major companies did comply exactly with the BEE requirements. Not everybody in the North West would be benefiting from 2010. Were economic opportunities available for the local people or would it just be FIFA again?
Mr Khunou responded that the situation with the Bafokeng Nation was that there were many other projects beyond just the stadium; the whole infrastructure was constructed by Bafokeng funds. There was a data list of contractors in various categories, coming to the stadium they made sure that some of the people were not necessarily contracting to the main contractor but were doing the project directly, such as painting, plastering. They were not joint ventures with just anybody but were taken directly from the data list so those people who worked for them before could continue to do that. Looking at the main project, the joint venture, the percentage of work done by Leviera was very little compared to what the local contractor was doing. There were a number of reasons why they had to enter into a contract and a joint venture with Leviera. The large amount of paving was done by black contractors, and they would continue to do that as maintenance projects. The concessions in the stadium were reserved for local entrepreneurs. The issue of FIFA not wanting people to sell in the streets had to be taken into account, but the concessions in the stadium were clearly allocated to local business people.
The Chairperson asked that, at the finish of the project, Mr Khunou supply the names and addresses of the companies involved in the building of the stadium. There should at least be some level of satisfaction that our people were growing out of this event. He also wanted the names of the people from which they were buying clothing and equipment. The Committee would be doing oversight. He asked what was the D date around the stadium, one date said they would be through by then and the other that they wanted it to be complete – were they still on track with the date?
Mr Khunou responded that there were dates for the actual playing of the games. A certain number of hours before the date, FIFA took over the stadium fully; but there was a process for the involvement of FIFA directly on the stadium. They had already gone out to tender for overlay projects and when they visited on 19 February, they were convinced that in terms of the areas they had been inspecting since the start of the construction of the stadium, they were happy that those areas were now complete. Practically they asked to be given until end of February to strip down the scaffold on the very far end of that roof, which would be done and cleared completely by 28 February. That meant that from beginning of March FIFA could access the stadium freely so that the contractor could be signed off and not lay claim against the stadium owner for eventualities. At end February they would give the contractor a practical certificate of completion, which would mean that FIFA could then access the stadium to carry out the projects they had to do.
The Chairperson said that he had a different view on the issue of the school. If that school was upgraded, and the way it was going to be used, it was a Tsitsing school and meant they had left a legacy in that school.
Mr Khunou agreed with the Chair. Fan parks should not be seen as a once off thing. They identified an area that could be used as a fan park for now and the future. His colleague from Rustenburg would take note of the Chair’s comments.
Mr Matima reiterated that they must find a balance.
The Chairperson said he would reserve his comments. He asked about the ground tax paid by the Confederation and FIFA, what percentage of that tax would be paid to Royal Bafokeng? Was it between fifteen to twenty percent?
Mr Khunou was not able to confirm that because initially it was a fixed sum and not based on gate takings and at that time was around $240 000.
The Chairperson suggested that they find out from Mr Danny Jordan the exact amount that had to be paid for the number of games to be played at that stadium and whether it would meet the shortfall of R141 million. They must negotiate. In view of the challenges that were, they must look at the options.
He asked whether the workers at Royal Bafokeng had been given two tickets for the games.
Mr Khunou replied that they had. As construction came to an end, a lot of contractors started moving away from the site but a record was kept of the addresses of those workers. Tickets would be given for some tournaments. They appreciated them very much.
The Chairperson said it was something that government and Parliament and all appreciated. Those people had worked very hard in building those stadiums and should at least have a seat for one of the games. It was also a good idea for the schools to go and see the stadiums. It was difficult to manage the excitement of people who wanted to go the stadium. There were only 1.7 million tickets available throughout the world, so it was not possible for all our people to be at the stadium. He related his experiences in Germany; the World Cup brought patriotism back to the people.
Ms Lerato Motaung (2010 Venue Activation Coordinator: Royal Bafokeng Sports) said with regard to stadium tours they were drawing up a programme for road shows where they would bus kids from the schools to the stadium and take them on tours and were working on giving them badges with a slogan stating that they had been there. So those processes were in place.
The Chairperson continued that on the Arts & Culture aspect that when they were in Germany South African artists had taken Germany by storm when the President was going there to get the torch and bring it to South Africa. Was something arranged for after hours entertainment?
Ms Motaung responded that they were in discussions with Hip Hop Panzula, WSP, and another group that had won the Metro Film Award. They were also putting a programme together in terms of igniting the spirit of the games in the nation. They were having an intern coming the second week of March. He would be working on the fusion of cultural arts and hip-hop. The school children would get involved with that, as well as the teenage component of the population. They would have that every week leading up to the Confederations Cup.
Mr Matima added that one of the best cultural bands could be found in the North West.
The Chairperson asked what stadium was this one equal to in size? He felt there was something very wrong with the allocations. The Nelson Mandela got R651 million less than the Green Point Stadium, although they were the same size. There was no logic in that as the stadiums were the same capacity.
Mr Matima said the Royal Bafokeng was the same capacity as Mangaung and also Nelson Mandela Bay, athough it was the lowest in terms of allocations.
The Chairperson asked why they should be the lowest, although Nelson Mandela was a totally new construction whereas the Royal Bafokeng was renovating, and therefore it could not be the same.
Mr Matima added that Mangaung was also renovating but the allocations were way different.
The Chairperson asked what made it different.
Mr Matima replied that Treasury and Sports and Recreation South Africa (SRSA) should respond to that.
The Chairperson agreed, Treasury would respond. He asked the SRSA Director General why the Royal Bafokeng and Mangaung, both completely new stadiums, what made Sport and Recreation and Treasury to conclude unequal amounts when the stadiums were of the same capacity? He wanted answers.
Mr Vernie Petersen (DG: SRSA) said he had no brief for Cape Town, it was before his time. When he had asked that question, he was told it was because of all the environmental impact issues that Cape Town had to deal with and some of those adjustments to satisfy the environmental conditions. The actual detail of the exact cost arising from those preconditions that were set, not only by the municipality but also with the province, he would find out those details for the Chair.
The Chairperson said if there were concerns about environmental impact studies in Cape Town, surely there was also environmental impact studies for the others. If not, that could not be correct and was unacceptable.
The Chairperson stated that out of the total amount of money that FIFA was using in this country, DTI had negotiated 30% set aside for SMMEs in this country. However, how much had they benefited out of that 30%? Gauteng would tell him how much they had benefited from that 30% and he wanted to hear how much the North West had benefited from that 30%. They must ensure that the workers received their two tickets and not the friends of the contractors.
Mr Matima responded that the information on the 30% would be forwarded by the next day.
The Chairperson said they must ensure the SMMEs benefited from that 30%, he wanted to check whether the Royal Bafokeng’s portion was equitable.
Mr Matima said the records would prove that the workers received their tickets, and they had agreed to throw a big party for the workers at the end of the year.
The Chairperson thanked Royal Bafokeng. He could safely say that by the end of February, they would have delivered yet another miracle, Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace was ready.
City of Johannesburg presentation
She said that Ms Mazibuko (Executive Director 2010, City of Johannesburg) would touch on the stadium preparedness and briefly touch on Soccer City even though Soccer City was not being used for the Confederations Cup but for 2010. On 12 February her Lekgotla received a report that they were sixty five percent complete in terms of the work happening at Soccer City stadium itself, and there was also good work progress on the precinct development. She would also touch on Ellis Park development and readiness. They were ready, Ellis Park Stadium was completed in January, FIFA came to inspect the stadium and were happy. They had pointed out some areas of unhappiness and the City was addressing those areas. Ms Mazibuko would also touch on the four training venues: the Rand Stadium seating 24 000 was completed and handed over in August 2008, the precinct development was under way and was expected to finish in March 2009. The Orlando Stadium was completed and inaugurated by the Mayor in November 2008 and was a world class African venue for 2010, it would not be used for the Confederation Cup. The precinct development around Orlando was also in progress. They also had Dobsonville as well as Ruimsig. Dobsonville was completed and precinct development was in progress. They would start developing Ruimsig as a fourth training venue once funds were received from the budget office.
She said that there was good progress in terms of infrastructure development. Infrastructure was on track, though they were experiencing some challenges that Ms Mazibuko would talk about as well as health and safety and security issues. Safety and security was on track. The only challenge being around disaster management but plans were in place to address that challenge. The fourth cluster was marketing fan parks, accommodation, tourism, and volunteers. The fifth cluster was the Mayoral Legacy project that was on track. Soweto Theatre had been launched; the development would begin very soon. They would continue to develop the soccer fields and to leave them as a legacy for the people of Johannesburg and Soweto in particular. The private sector had supported the City in implementing those legacy projects.
Ms Mazibuko would also touch on the parallel events that were on track: the Africa under One Roof, Football for Hope in Alexandra, on the soccer legends – there were now twenty five soccer legends officially registered as legends for the City who were ambassadors for the Confederations Cup and 2010. Stakeholder mobilisation and operational focus areas would be covered. Those areas were funded. There were challenges which would be covered by Ms Masibuko. As the 2010 preparations subcommittee of the Mayor, they were saying that they needed to work within constraints to deliver the best ever World Cup. They had listened to questions asked by honourable members and Ms Mazibuko would touch on the socio-economic benefits for the people. Their people would benefit from this work.
The Chairperson thanked Ms Mayathula-Khoza. He realised that what was going on with South African Airways impacted on the City of Johannesburg.
Ms Sibongile Mazibuko (Executive Director 2010, City of Johannesburg) said that the vision they had set was to host the best World Cup ever and they were committed to the three conditions of compliance governed by all the contractual responsibilities of the Host City agreement and the national guarantees. They believed that while they complied with FIFA requirements, they needed to build a lasting legacy for the City of Johannesburg. The hosting of the World Cup must be used to accelerate meeting their development challenges. Time remained the greatest constraint; other challenges were the international financial climate, with price escalation and the credit crunch; national elections meant competing needs around service delivery; there were serious challenges for the management of xenophobia and the expatriate community; last year there was the outbreak of communicable diseases and how to equip clinics and private hospitals to deal with that challenge; and there was the national Bus Rapid Transport protest and the pressure accompanying that. The City of Johannesburg was rolling out BRT, and would have BRT functioning during the Confederations Cup, the first phase of their BRT would be ready on that day. Although contracts were issued with our own taxi industry, there was international pressure.
Ms Mazibuko elaborated on the clusters of venues and precincts, infrastructure, safety and security and disaster management, marketing, mayoral legacy projects, spin offs and operational focus area. Among the spin offs was the right won for the hosting of the International Broadcasting Centre.
- Stadiums and training venues were on schedule, completed and nearing completion.
- Precincts were under construction and meeting milestones.
- Infrastructure: “A” category projects were on track, but with some operational challenges.
- Safety and security was well on track, there were challenges in putting together a fully functional disaster management centre with an operations centre for the BRT, the project was bigger than envisaged. They were engaging with provincial government on this. They would also like to partner with Gauteng’s Disaster Management Centre in Midrand. BRT buses would be monitored through a command centre.
- Marketing strategy was being rolled out and operational plans were in place.
- Mayoral Legacy Projects: good progress had been made and involvement with the private sector was picking up.
- Parallel events were on track. The final draw of the Confederations Cup was hosted in November, and at the same time the Miss World hosting and the two international brands actually shared a stage and the word ambush marketing was not used by any of them, so synergy between brands was possible.
Match Venue Soccer City: The project was sixty five percent complete. The seats have been rolled out. Soccer City was spoken of as an upgrade but it was not an upgrade – even the lower bank, which was not part of the stadium had to be redone because of a number of issues. It was a huge redevelopment.
The Chairperson asked why then did they refer to it as doing renovations?
Ms Mazibuko responded that it was a technical term.
The Chairperson argued that it could not be a technical term when in essence it was a rework of everything. Even National Treasury referred to FNB as renovations.
Ms Mazibuko said that was why she called it a technical term. The stadium existed on the same site – like Orlando. Orlando was demolished altogether and the stadium reconstructed. Soccer City was not demolished but it was a total reconstruction. Records would show it was a major redevelopment of the stadium. They expected some overruns and were engaging with Treasury and the Department of Sports.
The biggest issue was the effect of foreign exchange fluctuation and the weakening of the Rand. The biggest challenge of this project was cost. The roofing had been redone; the seating was redone; the pitch had new drainage and irrigation system. They had started demarcating the suites on the interior of the stadium and the 240 suites were now a reality.
Match venue Ellis Park: The main venue where the opening and closing ceremonies of the Confederations Cup would take place was at Ellis Park. They had gone through the inspection by FIFA, they had a visual completion certificate handed to them in December before the builders holidays, they requested the contractors to stay on site until FIFA had done the inspection, the City of Johannesburg would be handing over to the MOC over their work. Telkom was already on site. The work was done within budget allocation.
Grass was replanted. In the last two weeks rugby had been played on this pitch.
Match Precinct: Soccer City: The precinct project was mostly above 50% complete, with the work being done by the National Department of Transport also reaching a very high percentage of completion. The precinct construction was the same as the Ellis Park precinct. The International Broadcasting Centre was allocated on this particular site. There were challenges last year about the media village that had now been resolved. The City had gone into partnership with the private sector for the development of those units and the site had been handed over to the developer and construction would begin soon.
Provincial by laws had been approved and promulgated dealing with road access for local tradesmen into the area in terms of controlled access and they had designated areas where those locals would be doing their business.
Bulk transport in the precinct was the BRT. The roads at Ellis Park precinct were under construction and they had been viewed in an unfavourable light in the media because of the roadwork in that area and the community was feeling the pinch. However, there was hopethat the BRT would alleviate the traffic and road congestion experienced there.Other work being done by National Department of Transport was the Doornfontein Rail Station.
Training Venues and Precincts: Orlando, Rand and Dobsonville stadiums had been completed and handed over; Ruimsig was due for slight renovations for 2009/10. The Confederation Cup was using Orlando and Rand for their training venues and FIFA were looking at Dobsonville as part of the overflow or standby training venue. Today Orlando was a world-class facility to be proud of, in the middle of Soweto, and had raised the level of tourism going into Soweto to look at that facility. Dobsonville was a facility also in Soweto. The refurbishment of the 22 000 seat stadium was complete and the floodlights had also been changed.
Rand Stadium was complete, handed over in August 2008; work on the precinct was due for completion in March 2009. Ruimsig was going through a minor upgrade of R10 million.
[Chairperson’s interjection not audible]
Ms Mazibuko responded that the slides indicated that they were monitoring those things on a quarterly basis.
The Chairperson said that when the Confederations Cup was over he wanted a breakdown of these figures for Johannesburg. Referring to the President’s State of the Nation Address, they must be able to say what their input was in terms of job creation.
Ms Mazibuko noted the Chairperson’s request about SMMEs, they were going through a skilling programme and that information was only for one quarter.
In terms of training venue precincts, Orlando Stadium’s lighting, walkways and parking was completed; the Metrorail Station was under construction, scheduled for completion in December 2009. Dobsonville Stadium’s paving of walkways and pedestrian mall were completed and they were working on the pedestrian taxi area. With Rand Stadium, one of the biggest challenges was the neighbouring area because it was in the south of the CBD, the challenge put to the Mayoral Committee was to try to rehabilitate the area for the Confederations Cup.
In terms of infrastructure, they were looking at all the venue areas, including the hotels, in terms of the Category A (highest priority) project. In terms of Category A, the City was installing electricity and commissioning the distribution of lights in the Nasrec precinct and in the Ellis Park precinct. There was a specific design for these lights in different precincts. There was a challenge in relation to the lights in Ellis Park, there had been a black out during one of the games at Ellis Park, and the City was looking at a power station both in Soccer City and in Ellis Park. Another challenge was the water pressure in the Ellis Park Stadium and were looking at the Yeoville Water Supply and work has begun in terms of the pipes supplying that reservoir.
The BRT in Johannesburg, in particular the Phase 1A which was going to be commissioned for the Confederations Cup, was moving ahead very nicely with all the links that needed to be done, with the Soweto Highway being the first to be completed, and the other projects, including the inner city distribution system, was commissioned and actually moving ahead.
The Mayor of Johannesburg and the Minister of Transport had launched the Bus Rapid Transport System Station in the inner City of Johannesburg; the design was a replica of the Nelson Mandela Bridge. Stations would be five hundred metres apart and would change the landscape of the City of Johannesburg. The first BRT bus was tested and driven through the roads. In terms of funding, the BRT was funded by the National Department of Transport, and in terms of implementation, the City of Johannesburg. The taxi industry played a very important and meaningful role in terms of having this infrastructure rolling. The BRT operational plan involved ticketing, scheduling, and safety and security and how to test the infrastructure for the Confederations Cup and learn from that in terms of host improvement.
Transport infrastructure in the Nasrec area, the National Department was upgrading the N17 on and off ramp on the Soweto highway, half the Soweto Highway could only be accessed through the N12 and the N1, which was actually a security measure of the previous government. Now the National Department was opening access through multiple access to the Soweto area.
One of the biggest investments in transport was the Park ‘n Ride facilities to significantly reduce the number of private vehicles near the stadiums by providing four facilities spread throughout the City; Marks Park and Rand Stadium for Soccer City matches and Wits University Campus and Bezuidenhout Park for Ellis Park matches. The City had also done an upgrading of its own facility, which was a park in the inner city next to Rand Stadium and next to Ellis Park where they would be able to take a load of buses, not only to comply with FIFA but also to alleviate congestion within the Ellis Park precinct.
Another area of infrastructure was the IT&T of the IBC; the Telkom part of the layout was completed and was at the boundaries of the International Broadcasting Centre at Nasrec. The biggest work to be done was the Sentech Group, which was work to be done in terms of the release of land from the Department of Public Works for the Sentech Satellite Farm to be developed in the Nasrec area. The City believed that Sentech would be able to facilitate and finalise negotiations. Sentech had started procuring equipment for the Satellite Farm. In terms of IT&T infrastructure, one of the things they were dealing with in partnership with the National Department of Communication was the question of how to use that infrastructure after the fibre was laid on the ground, how to use that optical fibre together with the Satellite Farm on that precinct to accelerate connectivity in Soweto. Soweto was developing at a very accelerated rate but the biggest challenge there was Telkom connectivity and Internet connectivity. This infrastructure would give the City of Johannesburg an opportunity to address those challenges and reduce the cost of doing business for the South of Johannesburg.
In response to the Chairperson asking for clarification about the slide dealing with fibre and how was fibre connected to sports, he was told that those optical fibre connections would assist in transmitting communication. Ms Mazibuko pointed out that beyond the 1.4 million people watching the games at the stadium, three billion people would be watching the games on television.
She said that the City was endeavouring to make this a green event and was rolling out a waste management strategy at all their stadiums in terms of recycling. Soccer City was next to mine dumps; they were greening those mine dumps. The Mayor had promised as one of the legacy projects to plant 200 000 trees by 2020 and to date 132 000 had been planted. The City was also beautifying entrance areas within the Soweto area and was upgrading the parks. Extreme parks had been implemented and would be used as public viewing sites so that screens could be rolled out in the parks. One of the parks was in Diepkloof; and these would assist in rolling out the World Cup to communities like Diepsloot and Orange Farm.
Safety and Security: The biggest challenge in Johannesburg was always that of safety and security. The Mayor had undertaken to increase the number of JMPD to 4000 by 2010. The City had created a Riot Protection Unit and promulgated its by laws and was rolling out events specific directional signs, both for the BRT and for the ordinary streets of Johannesburg. It was important to know how many officers would be deployed to each venue, also at national level, the SAPS and SADF, in order to know what to expect in terms of planning.
Marketing: Two official fan parks had been identified – Innes Free Park in Sandton and Elka Stadium in Soweto. Elka Stadium was being upgraded, including screens as a public viewing site. There were public viewing sites in the north and the south, Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown and Walter Sisulu Square in Kliptown.
Nineteen new hotels had been developed in Johannesburg. The challenge was how to keep those facilities fully occupied post World Cup, and how to retain the jobs created in those facilities. To date 135 hotels (6628 beds) and more than 250 non-hotels (981 beds) had been signed up by MATCH. Accommodation was planned at universities and student residences around the city. A tent city would be privately developed within the City environs to avoid fans sleeping on the streets, in parks and in railway stations.
Johannesburg City had put their Host City poster on the municipal building and also brought out screens in Johannesburg, in particular the electronic screens where the World Cup Countdown Clock was being marketed. The website was rolling and being updated on a daily basis.
The City Beautification programme ensured that the city was clean and safe for visitors and also made the city as attractive as possible through street furniture, trees, and sculptures in public places, themed gardens and public places. Artefacts were introduced in the streets.
The City of Johannesburg had been allocated 1500 volunteers for the Confederations Cup. The recruitment process had been done; they were in the interview process and would be going into the training programme. Specific languages needed to be identified for additional training of the volunteers. All volunteers across the country would be trained, but the city’s volunteers would need specific Johannesburg training.
Referring to business closures, the by-laws had been promulgated and gazetted; the JMPD and rights protection unit had been trained. Within the exclusion zone there were businesses that would have to close for the World Cup. There was the China City at Ellis Park. They had since agreed to close on the match days at no cost but the biggest challenge was the Vodacom sign on the Ponte building, they wanted to be compensated for their closure and that was being dealt with.
Mayoral Legacy Projects: 52 of the 101 soccer fields were being greened and hopefully more would be greened this financial year. Ten fields would be developed – grassed, irrigation systems installed, landscaped and fenced. These were facilities within the previously disadvantaged communities in the belief that it would bring back their dignity. The only legacy project that had not kick-started was the indoor swimming pool in Soweto. The City had applied for m………[inaudible]. The project was important for sustainability of the Orlando Stadium because they believed they would be able to bid for other games and have a complementary facility within Soweto with all the sporting codes. Soweto deserved a world-class swimming pool.
The development of the Soweto theatre was put out to tender and a successful bidder appointed in December 2008. The sod turning ceremony by the Executive Mayor took place on 10 February 2009. They now had private sector funding and were looking into putting in the City’s own funding in this financial year. The Minister of Arts & Culture graced the occasion and turned the sod. The contractors had now come on site and the first theatre in Soweto was being developed.
The important part of the upgrading of the Diepkloof Hostel was that most tourists when they came to Soweto would actually pass Diepkloof Hostel to see a legacy of apartheid and how this current government used it. 136 units were under construction, 2 778 residents would benefit. A major problem was electrification of the development.
Street furniture was being rolled out, in particular in Hillbrow, Berea and Yeoville.
The City was rehabilitating and developing the Klipspruit River as a legacy project. What was a polluted stream was becoming an attractive recreational venue. The river would provide a series of eco-parks, trails and picnic sites equipped with ablution facilities, irrigation systems, water features, play equipment, bird hides and board walks.
Parallel Events: FIFA/Local Organising Committee was responsible for hosting and funding the opening and closing ceremonies of both the Confederations Cup and the World Cup. The City of Johannesburg would be the sponsor. Major benefits for the city were that it allowed the City to showcase the best of the city’s art and culture, including dance and music. One of the projects was Artists under One Roof, which were the artists of Africa. They had a private investor and now wished to attract artwork from all Africa to exhibit in an African museum as part of the World Cup. This art would be sold at curio shops in Johannesburg and had FIFA approval to sell at the venue itself, so those artists would then get the FIFA right of branding.
Another parallel event was The Boys in the Photograph, an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, to be staged at the Civic Theatre during the World Cup. The musical would be produced by the Johannesburg Civic theatre in association with Real Theatre and would open on 30 May 2010. Auditions would be held in May 2009. Six days were dedicated to government and the City so that they could entertain their guests.
Football for Hope was also a FIFA event to be hosted in Alexandra. Upgrading has started at No. 3 Square which had a multi-purpose sports complex, soccer field and a range of other playing areas.
The City had investigated all the soccer legends of soccer when soccer was not a sport that paid compensation. Twenty-five of them came from disadvantaged backgrounds and were not earning. They had been put onto the City salary payroll from December 2008. When the City launched Orlando Stadium they also played a game and the Mayor had promised that they would be the first to kick the ball in Orlando Stadium. Stakeholder mobilisation was the focus point of how communities were mobilised. As part of the 500 day celebration, the stakeholders from different areas of the city were taken to inspect the facilities so they could actually bear testimony to the work being done.
Ms Mazibuko concluded that as the City of Johannesburg they were on track, and under the leadership of the Executive Mayor and the MMCs that were given the responsibility of driving this programme. They would have to be very diligent about the challenges they had and managing those challenges, and believed that within the constraints of those challenges, they would not fail in delivering the best World Cup ever.
Discussion
Mr Reid thanked Ms Mazibuko for her excellent presentation; the Mayoral project was very encouraging.
However, the greening of the mine dumps, why did the mining houses not come to the party because those mine dumps were their responsibility. It was an environmental issue and they were the cause of that problem. In terms of finances, it was important that the sustainability of the projects had been mentioned, and the shortfall, because if there was a shortfall it meant they started on the wrong foot. What were they doing to ensure that those projects were all sustainable, especially considering the meltdown in the global economy?
Mr Solo was concerned about terminology. The City of Johannesburg, maybe it was a new term, now they were talking of metros. He asked for clarification on the approach, or was it just for planning purposes?
Both presentations were exceptionally good; he was encouraged by the progress made. He was concerned about mention of the outbreak of communicable disease and would like to have heard more. Johannesburg’s water came from the Vaal Dam and there were serious problems with regard to water management mentioned in the media. He asked what measures were being taken to ensure that outbreaks such as cholera would not happen. BRT could present problems but the City had the capacity to deal with that. Safety and security and challenges with disaster management, he would like clarity on exactly what was happening with disaster management. He asked for clarity on the partnership between the City and the Province, there was clear legislation on integration and working together, specific roles that each had to play.
On disaster management, he had met with fire fighters from Ekhurleni and Johannesburg that had a lot of reservations about the equipment and vehicles that they had and the number of people employed. He would like to hear more on that.
Mr Louw was not happy about the mention of the myth around disabled people in construction. He was concerned that according to the list of accommodation and special hotels, Hillbrow was not mentioned.
He raised the issue of a conference in Hillbrow, about red zones, and asked the presenters whether they had considered how sex workers would be accommodated, and whether there would be red zones.
The Chairperson said the issue had been raised by comrades from the North West.
Mr Dikgacwi noted that there was good interaction, but that interaction was not happening at national level.
Security in the City of Johannesburg was a real threat not to be taken lightly.
Ms Motaung said there was no law in this country dealing with the issue of sex workers. The fact was they would be around there; it was something that had come to Rustenburg. How did they intend dealing with that?
Ms Mayathula-Khoza said they had put in CCTV cameras to ensure protection for them.
Ms Motaung said if a Mercedes stopped and a girl jumped in, how would she be protected?
Ms Mayathula-Khoza replied that if the camera picked up the registration number of the car, the person would have to report what had happened, it could not follow wherever they were going.
Mr Matima added that beyond that there were no laws. There would be a lot of that in this kind of event. It was a growing business whether we liked it or not, but for safety it was a critical part. There was a street in Rustenburg where they operated. The City worked very closely with SAPS and had a system of monitoring with CCTV cameras and having patrols. When a person reported a problem, they could trace that XYZ in his Mercedes that had harassed that young person. A charge could then be laid.
Ms Mazibuko responded around the image crisis the City had through the national airways carrier. That was an external crisis that they had to get out of very soon, and also the problem with the drug trafficking that had hit the country.
The Chairperson said it would be good if they could later interact with both Johannesburg and Ekhurleni about the irritating roadblock on leaving the airport.
Ms Mazibuko responded to the issue of the greening of the mine dumps. The project was wholly funded by the mine houses. I in the previous financial year they had invested R5 million and in this financial year another R5 million. The City was working with them about water, because that mine dump would need to be irrigated. They were also repairing their own pipes, because one of the problems was those pipes were leaking into the river.
In terms of the shortfalls, they only had a shortfall with Soccer City and were in discussion with the Department. They were very much aware that it had to be managed and were continually trying to do that.
The issue around the terminology of Johannesburg was actually a branding exercise. Gauteng had come up with its brand ‘It starts here’. They believed that the two brands would speak very powerfully in the near future.
Regarding the BRT, the Mayor took personal responsibility around engaging with the taxi industry. Before the breakout of the violence and conflict in the Cape and Port Elizabeth, the City of Johannesburg had already signed an MOU with two of its taxi associations. That was an historic event with the two associations signing a single document. In the BRT project they agreed to collaborate with the City and signed that agreement. The challenge now was that those agreements were being undermined by the national associations. The Mayor was prepared to engage and really appreciated the work that the Minister was doing at national level in that industry. The industry must allow a transformation for their own good and for the citizens of Johannesburg. In the long term, the taxi industry would benefit. The only negative thing was that they would be paying tax, which they had not done in the past.
Ms Mazibuko requested that in their next meeting, they do a full presentation on the disaster management issue that the Committee had raised. The City took full responsibility for disaster management but it was actually the integration between themselves and the province that they were working on.
The Chairperson agreed to the request but he referred to disaster management at the stadiums. He would like the 2010 host cities to speak more on that.
Ms Mazibuko continued that since 2008 the City has been capacitating its fire fighters with new equipment and would like the Committee to share the concerns that were raised with them so those concerns could be dealt with.
She said that the point they were making about disabled people in construction was a real concern so they were pushing that it happen in all projects with the City.
Ms Mazibuko said that Hillbrow was a big challenge for the City of Johannesburg. It was part of the inner city and a lot of work was being done in it. The City was very deliberate not to remove Ellis Park as one of the training venues for the World Cup because one of the mayoral priorities was to deal with the inner city. It was unfortunate that there was no new hotel coming up in Hillbrow, but the Ponte building was receiving upgrading efforts from the private sector. The City would elaborate on how it was addressing the Hillbrow area at its next opportunity to meet with the Committee. Hillbrow could not be neglected because all the guests that would be coming for the Confederations Cup, in particular the African compatriots, would be staying in Hillbrow.
The City was watching the programme on the mass economy and were of the view that much needed to be done, they could not undermine the threat that they always highlight. The only way to deal with the issue was to engage the stakeholders.
Regarding the sex industry, delegates from the City attended the conference. They were looking at the outcomes of the conference; it was still a criminal offence to prostitute in South Africa but there was a need to balance those needs with the realities of the country.
Ms Mayathula-Khoza thanked the Chair for advice and recommendations given around South African Airways and would appreciate his facilitation of that meeting in Johannesburg. She noted that JMPD were already working together with Johannesburg Metro Police. On the issue of the JMPD strike, they were managing that issue under the leadership of the Mayor. The strike did end and negotiations were taking place on the issues and concerns of the unions. There would be investigation of the allegations assuming that the unions agreed on the terms of reference on what should be investigated. The issue of employing disabled people was taken seriously and she agreed that figures were not acceptable.
She noted the issue raised about the Safety Stadium Bill and as a city working together with surrounding cities and SALGA were dealing with that bill so that they could make a meaningful contribution to the bill because host cities were directly involved in the World Cup and also looking into safety and security issues of people coming from all over the world.
The issue of the shortfall was worrying but the City agreed that it would follow up with those institutions that applied for funding and grants but also looked at the private sector. The private sector was funding some of the projects. If there was insufficient funding for projects such as the indoor swimming pool in Soweto, they would be put on hold and done after 2010.
On the BRT, a steering committee was formed to ensure inclusion of stakeholders and the steering committee consisted of taxi role players and stakeholders from various parties in the City of Johannesburg. The MEC for Transport and the Mayor of Johannesburg had done a lot of work on this aspect to ensure harmony.
They would deal with the report on the conference that happened in Hillbrow. Perhaps National Parliament would assist by coming up with a bill to clarify the sex worker issue and give guidance at local level and particularly as host cities as to how to manage the issue of sex workers, which was a criminal offence.
On the socio-economic benefits to the people, as a City it worked on a target of 75% BEE contribution but was now at a level of 80%. They wanted a breakdown as to where were the disabled and the women. They would present a better breakdown at the next meeting.
The Chairperson thanked the City of Johannesburg. He said that the Sports Portfolio Committee did not want to leave the people of this country in the dark as to whether host cities were ready for the 2010 World Cup. It was humbling and exciting that in the Committee that there was no difference in view of the multi party membership of the Committee that South Africa deserved to have the 2010 and the Confederation Cup. Press conferences would communicate to South Africa that the Committee was happy they could host the Confederations Cup in Johannesburg and in Rustenburg at any time.
Next time he would like to hear from both Johannesburg and Rustenburg what was the input of the Provincial Government in the bigger scheme of events. The host cities were in the province and therefore the legislature must make an input there because the lifting of the investment was not only for the benefit of a municipality or host city but was a benefit for the country and that province in particular.
Both Rustenburg and Johannesburg, on the issue of disability, it was a human right for those people to participate in the economy of the country directly or indirectly. They had a right to be employed. Did they benefit from the 30% of Trade & Industry’s cake from FIFA, and by what percentage? Of the total money that FIFA brought into this country, who had benefited?
Who owned Ellis Park, Soccer City, and Orlando Stadiums? Government pumped money into those stadiums but those stadiums belonged to Johannesburg as a municipality. Leasing to rugby teams must be stopped so that Soccer City could not be owned by a particular person because it was owned by the City of Johannesburg. Ellis Park could not be private property. Government had pumped money into that stadium and had an assumption that those stadiums belonged to the municipality. SAFA was supposed to host the 2010 World Cup, not government. In South Africa the teams did not own the stadiums and the teams could not own the stadiums at the expense of government. Government paid for them and the teams must not take them over, unless it was in a clear MOU with terms of reference agreed by the City.
He thanked the presenters; he would see them at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium celebration. South Africa was ready to host the Confederations Cup.
Documents
- Presentation by City of Johannesburg [Part 4]
- Presentation by City of Johannesburg [Part 3]
- Presentation by City of Johannesburg[Part 2]
- Presentation by City of Johannesburg [Part 1]
- Presentation by City of Rustenburg [Part 4]
- Presentation by City of Rustenburg [Part 3]
- Presentation by City of Rustenburg [Part 2]
- Presentation by City of Rustenburg [Part 1]
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