Extras slow completion of Katutura Soccer Stadium

ADDITIONAL construction work on the Katutura Soccer Stadium has delayed the final completion date to February 2005.

The City of Windhoek originally said the stadium would be completed by the end of this year. Extra seating which will now be built will expand the capacity of the stadium from 8 000 to 10 300.The total cost of the stadium is N$63,5 million after council approved a further N$4,7 million for expanding its capacity and for floodlighting.A public address system, which was not part of the original plan, will cost at least N$2,6 million of the additional budget.The project started in March last year with the civil works taking up most of the year.The City’s Strategic Executive for Economic Development, Tourism and Recreation, Hafeni Nghinamwaami, said at a media briefing on Tuesday that the construction work, which began in July last year, was progressing well.The boundary wall, floodlights, grassing the pitch, the practice fields and VIP parking are about 70 per cent complete.The delay in preparing the main field and practice pitch, which was scheduled to start this week, is because the areas are being used to construct the additional seating.The City said on Tuesday that work on the playing fields would only start towards the middle of next month.Nghinamwaami said that there had been a lot of misconceptions about the stadium and criticism that it would not comply with Fifa regulations.But, he said, the ultimate aim of building the stadium was to bring football to the people and not for hosting major international events.However, he said, the stadium would still be fit for hosting international matches and that many countries did so in stadiums which did not comply with the world soccer body’s regulations.The City has said that it was more cost effective to build additional seating and make other additions to the stadium now because it would cost more to do so later.Extra seating which will now be built will expand the capacity of the stadium from 8 000 to 10 300.The total cost of the stadium is N$63,5 million after council approved a further N$4,7 million for expanding its capacity and for floodlighting.A public address system, which was not part of the original plan, will cost at least N$2,6 million of the additional budget.The project started in March last year with the civil works taking up most of the year.The City’s Strategic Executive for Economic Development, Tourism and Recreation, Hafeni Nghinamwaami, said at a media briefing on Tuesday that the construction work, which began in July last year, was progressing well.The boundary wall, floodlights, grassing the pitch, the practice fields and VIP parking are about 70 per cent complete.The delay in preparing the main field and practice pitch, which was scheduled to start this week, is because the areas are being used to construct the additional seating.The City said on Tuesday that work on the playing fields would only start towards the middle of next month.Nghinamwaami said that there had been a lot of misconceptions about the stadium and criticism that it would not comply with Fifa regulations.But, he said, the ultimate aim of building the stadium was to bring football to the people and not for hosting major international events.However, he said, the stadium would still be fit for hosting international matches and that many countries did so in stadiums which did not comply with the world soccer body’s regulations.The City has said that it was more cost effective to build additional seating and make other additions to the stadium now because it would cost more to do so later.