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Something new is being added to the skyline of Hillbrow – a bright white and blue football is slowly making its way up the iconic Telkom Tower.
A HUGE football is rising in Hillbrow and will soon reach its destination. That destination is the top of the Telkom Tower, and by next week it should be some 96m high.
The eye-catching football
The enormous football is an eye-catching reminder to residents that very soon the city will be playing a key role in the most spectacular sporting event on the planet – the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.
It will be visible to anyone attending matches at the nearby Ellis Park Stadium, venue of several of the World Cup matches next June and July, as well as to visitors travelling around the city.
The ball is one of the bold ways telecommunications giant Telkom, one of the official sponsors of the World Cup, is making its contribution to the football bonanza.
The Hillbrow tower addition is the second ball to be hoisted on to a Telkom tower. The first was on the Lukasrand Telkom Tower in Pretoria. It looms large, 115m above the city.
The Pretoria football has been confirmed by the Guinness Book of Records as the biggest sculptured football in the world, weighing in at 50 tons, and almost eight storeys tall.
The Hillbrow football weighs 35 tons, and is about a third along its journey to the top of the tower.
“Besides highlighting Tshwane as one of the host cities, this feature could become one of the most eye-catching off-field spectacles related to the 2010 FIFA World Cup™,” Telkom’s group CEO, Reuben September said at the unveiling several months ago.
“Telkom is proud to give Gauteng a visible legacy that will forever link the province to the world’s greatest soccer tournament.”
A number of engineers were consulted in the construction of the footballs, particularly in deciding the most suitable materials. Each of the 96 pieces was carefully drawn and moulded, then fixed on to a steel frame.
The spectacular sight of the Lukasrand Telkom Tower in Pretoria
“By creating a large visual spectacle at the pinnacle of the Lukasrand and Hillbrow towers, Telkom is offering every citizen of, and visitor to Gauteng, an opportunity to share in the soccer frenzy that’s starting to envelope our country,” said Thami Magazi, Telkom’s group executive for multi-national customers.
Manufactured and installed
The balls have been manufactured and installed by Graphic Wizard, a company that specialises in branding, signage and building wraps.
Owner Phil Bredenkamp says although both footballs are the same size the one being raised in Hillbrow contains less steel. The ball is being raised by means of cables, guys, rubber wheels and winches, at one metre every five minutes. The process is dependent on the weather conditions, particularly the wind, adds Bredenkamp.
The separate pieces of fibreglass skin are attached to the frame with high tensile bolts and brackets which are specifically designed for the structure. This surface is then coated with a durable acrylic coating in the pattern of a soccer ball.
“Once the ball has been hoisted it will be fixed into place by means of chemical anchors specified by the engineers who designed the structure and then finally the ball will be externally illuminated,” says Pynee Chetty, Telkom group communication and brand specialist in media relations.
The construction of the balls began in early 2009, and by September the Lukasrand ball was in position.
Both consist of a steel frame, with fibreglass covering, and measuring 24m in diameter. Different methods of construction were used for both balls, because of the shape of the towers. The Pretoria football was completed at the top of the tower, while the Hillbrow football is being raised as a complete ball.
“It’s taken three months to construct each ball,” says Bredenkamp.
Construction of tower
The Hillbrow tower was built between June 1968 and April 1971. It is 270m or 90 storeys high, making it the tallest man-made structure with a lift in Africa. It is a microwave tower, transmitting radio and television signals.
The familiar landmark on the Hillbrow ridge
Microwaves travel in straight lines from one transmitter to another across comparatively short distances of up to 50km and hence are not subject to any interference, particularly Joburg’s violent thunderstorms. Because of this, they provide excellent clarity of reception.
The Lukasrand tower was built in 1980, and is 160m high.
A legacy
An Environmental Impact Assessment was done. Telkom is keen to leave a legacy after the World Cup.
“After the usage time of the ball and the banners has elapsed, Telkom will identify a needy organisation to donate the banners to, for use as construction materials for temporary shelters, given that the material is waterproof,” indicates Telkom in a statement.
Telkom said that the lighting used to illuminate the tower “will not have any adverse effect on the environment in the surrounding suburbs”. In addition, the fibreglass can withstand the impact of rain, hail, wind and the rays of the sun.
Telkom's telecommunications equipment for the World Cup also extends to four hotels, four ticketing centres, FIFA's headquarters at Sandton, SAFA house in Johannesburg, a data centre which included several VPNS (Virtual Private Network Supreme) links, the welcome desk at the OR Tambo International Airport and a PC factory based in Isando.
Telkom is responsible for all telecommunications at all 11 World Cup stadia, with each stadium supplied with two Telkom rooms or hubs.
Chetty says Telkom is “absolutely happy” with the outcome of the football on the Lukasrand Tower. Regarding the cost of the footballs, he says that they are “pretty priceless” in terms of promotion of the World Cup.
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