This is an asset from which every resident and ratepayer will benefit, as the creation of this precinct means that Durban will be one of the few African cities able to host most of the Olympic disciplines within a single sporting precinct.

With the construction progressing rapidly, the new Moses Mabhida is already becoming a fundamental feature on the city’s landscape and is well on target for FIFA’s final completion date of 31 October 2009. A significant number of milestones have been reached in the past couple of months:

• The first parts of the concrete slab have been poured for Level 6, the stadium’s highest level. From Level 6, visitors to the stadium will enjoy fantastic views over the city of Durban and out to sea. This sea level will house the demountable seating required to extend the stadium capacity from 54 000 to 70 000 for 2010 FIFA World Cup™. It will also include three rows of permanent spectator seats.
• The slabs for Level 4 and Level 5 are well on track and the first steel columns for Level 6 have arrived on site. The foundations for the southern part of the stadium’s grand central arch have been completed and the first of its giant steep segments and rung elements, which connect the two southern legs of the arch, have been assembled on site and hoisted into place. Work on the northern part of the arch will take place during May.

Quick Facts:

• The entire stadium has been designed and built in line with all the latest safety and security requirements.
• The stadium infield has been designed and built in accordance with the latest international sporting codes.It will have the capacity to hold 70 000 spectators during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ South Africa and 54 000 in legacy mode thereafter.
• Each seat will be spacious and will have excellent site lines and ease of access is ensured, with 50% of the stadiums seats accessible from the main entrance level.150 suites, housing a total of 7500 seats, will cover a range of different hospitality options.
• The grand centre arch, 106m high, will become a world first tourist attraction, thanks to a high-tech cable car designed to take visitors up to its highest point, where they can disembark and take in breathtaking, panoramic views of the city. This 350m long free-span steel arch weighs 2600 tons.
• The roof, consisting of Teflon coated glass fibre membranes - 46,000 square metres in total – are attached to the arch by 95mm diameter steel cables. Around the perimeter of the stadium structure is an 880m long steel compression ring that maintains the structure of the roof.
• On big match days, Walter Gilbert Road will be closed to traffic, creating a safe pedestrian precinct.Durban’s People Mover bus will stop at the stadium, allowing spectators to park at one of the many parking facilities in town and get to the stadium safely and quickly.
• A new Kings Park Railway Station is being developed adjacent to the stadium, allowing visitors direct access to the stadium precinct.