Vuvuzela South Africa

Well it looks like Carlos Alberto Parreira is making headway with Bafana Bafana. They managed to score three goals at Moses Mabhida Stadium against Zimbabwe last night.

Bafana Bafana Magic

Although the game was no walkover for the South African National team, there were certainly moments of sheer Bafana magic. Bafana Bafana scored three second-half goals with Siphiwe Tshabalala handing the World Cup hosts the lead with a stunning set-piece. Thulasizwe Mbuyane scored the second after a sweeping attacking move and Lucas Thwala’s injury-time header completed the rout.

But the real magic of the night was the vibe in the Moses Mabhida Stadium, as thousands of Bafana Bafana fans and a few Zimbabwe fans walked for miles ( the parking was soooo far way) through the humid summer night, blowing their vuvuzelas, waving flags and making new friends.

Vuvuzelas of Every Size

Inside the Moses Mabhida Stadium the atmosphere was electric – vuvus of every shape and size; flags, and football shirt and t-shirts and caps got the singing dancing Bafana fans going.

The soccer, well the first half was not good – the second half showed promise. Our boys are going to work hard at their camp in Brazil.

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At last, I was there – walking into the Moses Mabhida Stadium where I could see the progress – it is breathtaking. Yes, this will be Durban’s football Stadium, but it will truly be a landmark, a must see attraction for visitors too.

And why would visitors want to spend their time at our 2010 World Cup Stadium?

Well, I know, I will take everyone to the 2010 Stadium because I have watched it from before it even happened. I watched them demolish the old soccer stadium and clear the ground and then begin with this one.

Moses Mabhida 2010 Stadium

I will also take my visitors to the Moses Mabhida Stadium because it will have shops and art galleries and restaurants and that amazing 350 m arch – well on the one side one can go up in a kind of cable car to a viewing platform (106 m above the pitch) and the other, with a harness, climb the stairs. And from here, you can see spectacular panoramic views over the ocean and the city. Half way up will be some kind of swing – I guess like a cross between a trapeze and a bungee, that the brave and daring can swing out over the stadium.

But coming back to the present, I visited the Moses Mabhida Stadium with City Manager Dr Michael Sutcliffe, International Relations head honcho Eric Appelgren and his right hand Shelley Gielink and a delegation from Durban’s Sister City’s – here for the annual Celebrate Durban week..

Multi Coloured Seating and Turf

Although the building is still going on all around, one can see that things are being finished off. The multi-coloured seats (with plenty of legroom) are in and the special turf has been laid.

According to the Durban 2010 website, because the pitch is designed to accommodate various sports played during different seasons, two types of grasses will be installed: Warm Season and Cool Season.

Pitch Design

The pitch has been design and built by Ibhola Lethu Consortium (ILC), which has been responsible for the pitch design at Coca-Cola Park (formerly Ellis Park Stadium), Johannesburg’s Soccer City, and the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth, among others.

The Moses Mabhida (aka Durban Football or Soccer Stadium) Stadium will seat 70 000 roaring fans for the FIFA 2010 World Cup™, with 54 000 seats in its normal mode. It has the potential to expand to 85/90 000 seats to meet the requirements of large-scale events like the Olympic Games.

Fred Hatman Also Visited the Moses Mabhida Stadium

My friend, Fred Hatman also visited the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Friday. He is such a great writer; here is just a short extract from his post titled A Golden Day at Durban’s 2010 World Cup Stadium … in 2019.

“My mind fast-forwarded to June 2010 and the lip-smacking prospect of watching the likes of Steven Gerrard, Kaka and Lionel Messi perform their wizardry right here in the middle of Durban. My eyes glistened and closed and then I was strangely transported beyond this to a day in 2019. It is the 25th anniversary of South Africa’s first democratic government and a tribute match is being played right here, right before my very eyes, in Durban’s World Cup stadium, now nine years old.

Moses Mabhida glowed bleach-white in the sub-tropical sunshine and the sky-sweeping arch continued to oversee the vibrancy and energy of our beautiful game. I was craning my head over the bouncing mass of the full-house crowd, trying to get a view of the world’s finest footballers celebrating the birth of the still-new South Africa.”

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Well what we really mean is that the Durban Beachfront Upgrade will be ready for the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup, but is sounds like it is going to be so great, it will be enjoyed by residents and holidaymakers alike for many years to come.

Durban Beachfront Upgrade

I’ve been hearing stories of this Durban Beachfront Upgrade for ages, and have now seen the first comprehensive story in plain English – I don’t speak “town planning” and get a bit squint when I hear about nodes and interfaces, but  the story is plain and simple -

Umlazi Fieldband at the Durban Amphimarket Fleamarket on the Beachfront

We have eight kilometers of beach from the harbour to the Blue Lagoon  in Durban and this revamp is going to remove all the structures and buildings that interfere with making it a smooth, clear and beautiful stretch of beachfront.

Sure there are some casualties and some people are whining once again about this and about that – as they are wont to do, but there is no doubt in my mind that the only way to get this job done is an integrated plan and to do it one-time – like it is being done now.

I think I can even cope with the nodes. Anything for the 2010 World Cup!

As Julie May Ellingson,head of strategic projects and 2010 planning at the eThekwini Municipality told IOL:

“We have 8km of amazing shoreline and we must use it to its full potential. For that we need a decent promenade with activity nodes about every 300m all the way along.”

I am happy that they are going to remove the toilets at bottom of the Amphimarket and open it up to the beach

“The bathrooms under the big bank at the Amphitheatre will be demolished. There will be new ablution blocks at the skate park with a deck and skate shop which will have direct interface with another restaurant node.” says Ellingson

I just hope they have thought about what happens when the wind blows off the sea – those big mounds over the toilets create a wonderful sheltered  area where the Amphimarket Flea Market takes place on Sundays as it has for the past 25 years.

So Roll on Durban Beachfront Upgrade – We will be ready for the visitors when the 2010 World Cup comes along.

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Well I see the 2010 soccer Stadium in Durban every day because it is between the Berea where I live, and town where most of my appointments for work are – and every day I see progress.

At the moment I try to count the sails that give it a Sydney Opera House kind of look. They are almost  stretching all around.

Approaching the 2010 Stadium in Durban from the City Center.

According to the VERY EXPENSIVE (controversial) Official Durban 2010 Website:

The stadium has been specifically designed to be active 365 days a year, creating a dynamic entertainment node for the city of Durban, incorporating Imbizo Place with over 7000m2 retail space, an amphitheatre and a cable car.

The cable car will ascend to a viewing platform at the top of the expansive 350m arch, a staggering 106m above the pitch.  From this vantage point, visitors can experience spectacular panoramic views over the ocean and the city.

The stadium is a world-class, state-of-the-art, multifunctional arena located in the heart of the Kings Park Sporting Precinct.  It will seat 70 000 roaring fans for the FIFA 2010 World Cup™, with 54 000 seats in legacy mode (permanent), and the potential to expand to 85 000 seats to meet the requirements of large-scale events such as the Olympic Games.

You can also watch this cool real time webcam of the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup Stadium in Durban.

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