Millions set aside for Moses Mabhida Stadium upgrade
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Moses Mabhida Stadium An aerial shot showing Durban’s iconic new Moses Mabhida Stadium. File Picture: Brian Spurr
Durban - Millions of rand have been set aside for the upgrade of the network infrastructure at Durban’s Moses Mabhida stadium.
The eThekwini Municipality council recently approved the spending of R36 million on the upgrade of infrastructure which will include network and air-conditioning upgrades.
A report on the matter tabled before the council recently said the upgrades were “critical for the daily operations and event specific requirements”.
“The project will include network services to security, access control systems, ticketing systems, centralised heating and air conditioning systems and internet services, lighting control and building management systems since all the systems are integrated.”
It was noted that the system would be procured through a state-owned entity for the configuration and installation of network equipment and service with a 36-month maintenance and support plan.
The report recommended that “authority be granted to the head of stadia and facilities to implement the
Moses Mabhida Network refresh project at an estimated cost of R36m, to be funded from savings identified to remedy the stadium’s deteriorating network infrastructure, equipment and services”.
IFP councillor Mdu Nkosi said they believed the upgrade of the network was necessary. He added that other matters at the stadium also needed to be addressed, including the Skycar which is still not operational.
“What we raised is that they should attend to the issue of the sky-car that is not working. Not many people come for soccer,” he said.
ADeC councillor Visvin Reddy said the upgrade project was a piecemeal approach and the stadium continued to drain money from ratepayers.
He said when the stadium was conceptualised initially, all the presentations made said that the city’s financial contribution would decrease significantly over the years, but that has not happened.
He said the stadium should have been handed to a professional team or agency to manage it, “but that has not happened, the city insists on staying in the city stadium management business and the ratepayers are paying for this”.
EFF councillor Thabane Miya said that unlike the ICC, Moses Mabhida is not making a profit, adding that the managers of the stadium should produce a detailed strategy for the entity.
The stadium has been under fire recently following a report by The Mercury’s sister newspaper, the Sunday Tribune, that raised questions about repairs that needed to be done to the facade of the stadium and its roof.
But Vusi Mazibuko, the head of stadia, speaking on the eThekwini podcast platform eThekwini Matters shortly after the story appeared, said the stadium was not collapsing.
“It’s important that we confirm to the public (that the stadium is not collapsing). When the news broke, people panicked, not only locally but internationally.”
The municipality did not respond to questions regarding repairs to the stadium’s facade and roof.