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The deputy president toured Johannesburg's 2010 legacy
projects, and came away impressed by what he saw.
OTHER 2010 FIFA World Cup™ host cities should emulate what
the City of Johannesburg is doing in its preparations to host the football
spectacular, according to Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe.
Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe and Joburg's executive mayor Amos Masondo catch a Rea Vaya bus
Motlanthe was speaking during a tour of Joburg's 2010 legacy
projects, including the Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, Soccer City
Stadium and the stunning Orlando West Regional Park in Soweto on Saturday, 31
October.
Explaining the reason of the tour, Executive Mayor Amos
Masondo said it was about all issues related to the World Cup. The City has two
approaches concerning the event, he said.
"The question we ask ourselves is how in the City do we utilise
the pressure to deepen our programmes and also ensure that this pressure is
utilised positively. Secondly, we have to ensure that there are legacy projects
that preoccupy the work that we do. What is it that will be left behind when
2010 has come and gone?"
There were other legacy projects besides Rea Vaya, the stadiums
and parks; these included city beautification, greening of soccer fields,
construction of the Soweto Theatre, the Diepkloof hostel upgrades and improving
safety and security, said Masondo.
Readiness
The tour started at the Metro Centre in Braamfontein where City officials,
members of the mayoral committee and councillors joined government officials,
including Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Sicelo
Shiceka. They learned about the City's readiness to host the World Cup from the
City manager, Mavela Dlamini.
After a marathon account of what the City had done so far,
the delegation boarded a Rea Vaya bus that took them through the city centre to
the BRT station at Westgate. Here, Masondo and Motlanthe were met by some BRT
volunteers working at the station.
The first phase of the BRT, from Regina Mundi in Soweto to
Ellis Park in the inner city, is already running and has proved popular.
Motlanthe, who sat with Masondo as the bus meandered through the city, was
impressed by the system.
"This has been a wonderful tour and an eye opener. I never
thought that some day our public transport would operate so efficiently and
comfortably," he said.
Joburg's director of project management, Sid Clark, shows Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe the 'pit of fire'
The delegation also toured the giant stadium, Soccer City. It
is 98 percent complete and will seat 88 000 people. The director of project management in the City, Sid Clark, said initially the stadium was meant to seat 94 700 people but because of safety reasons this number had been cut.
Pit of fire
Clark said the "pit of fire" - the raised podium on which the calabash design
of the stadium will sit - would be completed this month.
Motlanthe was also taken through the Nasrec precinct, where
the pedestrian bridge and promenade are under construction. Both the promenade
and the bridge, linking Soccer City and Nasrec Centre, where the international
broadcasting centre will be located during the tournament, are almost complete.
From Soccer City, the Rea Vaya bus headed for Orlando West Regional
Park along the Klipspruit River. The R17-million park, overlooking Orlando
Stadium, is beautiful.
It is furnished with a range of play equipment and sports
facilities, comprising swings, a netball and basketball court, a
professional-size football pitch and a one-kilometre jogging track.
Matshidiso Mfikoe, the member of the mayoral committee for environment, said
the park had proved very popular with the local community. On any given day,
over a thousand children and elders visited the park.
Park
Commenting after touring the green lung, where he met
frolicking children, Motlanthe said he was impressed by the manner in which the
City had transformed "bumpy ground" into such a beautiful park.
"What the City has done is commendable and I hope Sicelo
Shiceka can pick up tips and then take them over to other municipalities to
replicate."
Motlanthe said the 2010 World Cup would leave a rich legacy
for the people of South Africa. As someone who used to live in Johannesburg,
there were a lot of buildings that needed to be preserved, especially in Soweto.
"These are historical buildings that contributed to our
struggle. There is one particular building that I noticed in the vicinity of
the park that should probably be declared a national museum. We have to breathe
life into our history," he said.
After the tour, Masondo, Motlanthe and Shiceka attended the
Soweto Derby match between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates at Orlando
Stadium. The hotly anticipated game between the traditional Soweto rivals ended
in a goal-less draw.
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