| Sanyati announces acquisition of Meyker Group – 05/12/2007 |
The AltX-listed civil engineering and construction group, Sanyati Holdings, announced the R220m acquisition of Meyker Group. Sanyati CE, Rick Jackson, said: ’This has enabled the company to secure a database of leading corporate and public sector clients in this industry, which will further expose Sanyati to this high-growth market segment.’ The Sowetan reports that the Meyker Group is part of a joint venture, which was recently awarded the contract for the upgrade of the Bloemfontein stadium for the 2010 WC.
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Full report in The Sowetan
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| Another strike at 2010 stadium site - 03/12/2007 |
Builders of a stadium for the 2010 WC were on strike with talks still locked on bonuses and transport allowances, the union said. SuperSport reports that some 800 workers downed tools for the fifth day running at the site of the Mbombela Stadium, where at least four first-round matches in the WC are scheduled to be played. ’They want a R2 000 rand bonus and a R900 transport allowance,’ said the regional co-ordinator for the National Union of Mineworkers, Onismus Serothwane. Workers at the stadium resumed their strike action last after the parties failed to find a deal.
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Full SuperSport report
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| 2010 adds R250m to Lafarge’s order book - 03/12/2007 |
Cement producer Lafarge SA said that the 2010 WC stadiums had already added R250m to its order book. Its Aggregates & Readymix business unit had secured construction materials contracts worth close to R250m for the supply of aggregates and concrete to the stadiums. Engineering News reports that the firm would be supplying 80 000 cubic metres of concrete for the construction of Durban’s new 80 000 seat Moses Mabhida Soccer Stadium, 135 809 cubic metres of concrete for the new 70 000-seat Green Point stadium, 270 000 t of aggregates for Port Elizabeth’s new 50 000-seat Nelson Mandela stadium. It was also supplying materials to Polokwane’s new R800m, 40-000 seat Peter Mokaba facility, 80 000 cubic metres of various grades of concrete for Nelspruit’s new 43 000-seat Mbombela stadium, and 80 000 cubic metres of various grades of concrete for Nelspruit’s new 43 000-seat Mbombela stadium.
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Full Engineering News report
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| R250m machine ready to fast-track Gautrain - 02/12/2007 |
She is the yet-to-be christened R250m tunnelboring machine for the Gautrain, the high-speed rail link being built between Pretoria, Joburg and OR Tambo International airport. The Times reports that Gautrain project manager Jack van der Merwe said his team would be laying out and testing railway tracks in a completed tunnel as early as the end of next year. ’It’s a very complex project that we are working on - 43 sites simultaneously - but we are still confident that we will be opening up (the Sandton to OR Tambo Airport link) in time for the 2010 WC,’ he said.
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Full report in The Times
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| EASSy project construction gets under way - 02/12/2007 |
The construction of the $235m East African Submarine Cable System (EASSy) project will begin this month following the approval of initial funding by the African Development Bank (AfDB). The East African Standard reports that Eric Chinje, AfDB’s head of external relations and communications said the cable was expected to transform the telecommunications landscape in the region as it improves access for 250m Africans and substantially reduces costs for consumers and businesses. ’The EASSy cable is expected to be fully operational in time for the 2010 WC,’ he said.
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Full report in The East African Standard report
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| M & R secures R7bn Eskom contract - 01/12/2007 |
Construction firm Murray & Roberts said it expected half- and full-year diluted headline earnings per share (EPS) to be between 40 and 50% higher. The group also said it had secured a steel installation contract worth about R7bn from state utility Eskom over seven years at its Medupi Boiler power plant. According to a report on the Moneyweb site, local construction firms have benefited from an economic and property boom for several years and are expected to continue doing so as the country rolls out a series of stadiums and other infrastructure for the 2010 World Cup.
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Full report on the Moneyweb site
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| R10bn secured in contracts for Group Five - 30/11/2007 |
Contracts worth about R10bn to be completed over the next three had been secured by Group Five, the construction and engineering company, said CE Mike Upton. ’This shows that we have some capacity to take on work at better margins,’ Upton said. According to Business Report, SA construction companies have seen a glut of work as government plans to spend R416bn over three years to upgrade infrastructure in preparation for the 2010 WC and extend services to areas where they are have historically been lacking.
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Full story in Business Report
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| Minister concerned about construction of stadia - 25/11/2007 |
Angola’s Youth and Sports minister, Marcos Barrica voiced concern about the construction of new football stadia to host the African Cup of Nations (CAN) in 2010. According to the minister, the concern was expressed due to the fact that the construction works of the infrastructures to host the continental football event are still delayed. According to a report on the allAfrica.com site, after calling for more engagement and dynamism by contractors in charge of the building works, the minister also said that participants will discuss about sporting events to happen in the zone, such as the WC in 2010.
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Full report on the allAfrica.com site
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| Stadium transformation on schedule - 25/11/2007 |
The Bafokeng Royal Sports Palace is already undergoing a major face-lift, with the stadium roof having been stripped to allow for an increase in the number of seats. The Times reports that George Khunou, CE of Bafokeng Royal Sports Holdings, confirmed the work to transform the stadium into a 45000-capacity Fifa-compliant stadium remained firmly on schedule, and would be completed before the deadline of October 2008. Meanwhile, the enthusiasm of the celebrations in the city to mark the recent 1000-day countdown to the 2010 WC was a taste of what the city would deliver during the showpiece tournament.
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Full report in The Times
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| Major delays in road construction - 25/11/2007 |
Transportation of subsidised fertilizer into the country from Mozambique and the scarcity of cement will delay the completion of the Zomba-Jali-Phalombe-Chitakale road. This was learnt when Minister Henry Mussa inspected progress of the road, which was supposed to be completed in May 2008. Now the road is scheduled to finish in November the same year. The contractor Mahammed Adbulmohsen Al Kharafialso said cement shortages has also hit the entire SADC due to massive construction works in SA ahead of the 2010 WC.
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Full report in The Daily Times
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| Fifa keeps a watchful eye on 2010 construction - 23/11/2007 |
Fifa issued veiled warnings to Durban, Nelspruit and Cape Town that they could be left out in the cold at the 2010 WC. The Cape Times reports that just days before the preliminary draw for the tournament, Fifa General-Secretary Jereme Valcke said the federation would not hesitate to change stadium venues for 2010 WC matches if critical deadlines are missed due to delays by striking workers. Fifa said it was keeping a watchful eye on the construction situation.
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Full Cape Times report
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| Retail centre at the quarry for 2010 - 22/11/2007 |
The Strand Street quarry cannot continue to be maintained unless a man and his wife are prepared to move. Charles Willoughby and his wife have been occupying a space against the mountain in their shack for a number of years. According to a People’s Post report, last year, SA National Parks told the Good Hope Subcouncil about its plans to develop a retail centre and office block at the quarry in time for the 2010 WC. A new cableway was also planned for the Strand Street quarry to take visitors from Strand Street up to Signal Hill. SANParks needs the city’s approval to develop the Strand Street quarry site, as the site is owned by the city.
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Full People’s Post report
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| Concerns raised about 2010 stadia - 22/11/2007 |
Fifa is concerned about 2010 stadium preparations, according to Fifa General Secretary Jerome Valcke who addressed a media briefing in Durban. Stadium workers in Nelspruit, Durban and Cape Town recently staged strikes for better wages and this raised concerns that SA would not be ready to host the World Cup — nor the 2009 Confederations Cup. ’We are looking at what’s happening and we are concerned, but we do trust that Danny (Jordaan) and the LOC have solutions for these problems,’ he said.
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Full report on the iafrica.com site
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| Nelspruit 2010 strike is over - 22/11/2007 |
Members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) who downed tools at a 2010 WC stadium in Mpumalanga are back at work. ’The Mbombela Stadium Joint Venture, stadium contractors and union representatives met on Wednesday and resolved the labour dispute,’ said Desmond Golding, provincial deputy director-general of the 2010 Project. According to a report on the IoL site, this comes after construction workers went on strike over Christmas bonuses, transport allowance and the selection of a health and safety official.
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Full report on the IoL site
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| Royal Bafokeng behind schedule - 20/11/2007 |
As preparations for the 2010 WC are underway countrywide, contractors at the Rustenburg’s Royal Bafokeng stadium in the North West acknowledge that they are behind schedule. Construction work has not started at the stadium. They are faced with a shortage of skilled manpower as well as pressing deadlines. Contractors say they delay in the appointment of a community liaison officer for this project is cause for concern. But they are confident that the stadium will be ready by December 2008.
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Full story in the Reporter
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| No grounds for panic over PE’s 2010 stadium - 20/11/2007 |
There are absolutely no grounds for panic as PE’s 2010 WC stadium will be completed, at the very latest, in January 2009, five months before the Confederations Cup tournament. These assuring words came from Nelson Mandela Bay 2010 director Errol Heyns. The Herald reports that this follows a series of media reports last week that due to an impending sympathy strike at the stadium, the city’s chances of hosting the Confederations Cup had been thrown out the window.
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| Construction of Beitbridge hotel starts - 20/11/2007 |
The construction of a three-star hotel in Beitbridge, a joint venture between the Rainbow Tourism Group and the National Social Security Authority has begun. RTG CE, Chipo Mtasa said civil works had started at the project site. The Herald reports that the construction of the hotel, which was supposed to start early this year, was deferred owing to a variety of factors. The joint venture would be financed to the tune of $10m. The project is part of the country’s preparations for the 2010 WC and must be completed before the extravaganza.
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Full report in The Herald
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| Counting the cost of Durban strike - 19/11/2007 |
The Group Five/WBHO consortium management says the worker’s strike at the Moses Mabhida stadium in Durban has had a huge impact on service delivery. Spokesperson Craig Jessop says contingency plans have been put in place to recover the lost time. He has promised the public that the stadium will be finished before the 2010 World Cup. Jessop says from all the parties the process has been handled very maturely and they are looking forward to getting on delivery the stadium for Durban.
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Full SABC report
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| Draft agreement on stadium strike – 17/11/2007 |
Negotiations between the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the Group Five-led consortium building Durban’s Moses Mabhida 2010 WC stadium have yielded a draft agreement. The Citizen reports that NUM’s KZN regional co-ordinator Bonginkosi Mncwabe said thenunion leadership would present a draft agreement to workers. While he did not reveal any details of the draft agreement, Mncwabe said: ’The sticking point is the sub-contractors.’ NUM is demanding project bonuses of R1 500 a month for each worker.
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Full report in The Citizen
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| Giant strides for stadium facelift - 15/11/2007 |
The major facelift being undertaken at Zimbabwe’s ceremonial home of football - Rufaro - is set to take giant strides following indications that the artificial surface will be laid at the venue in a week’s time. The Herald reports that Fifa expert on artificial turf Eric Harrison’s tour and the thumbs up that he gave on the progress at the stadium to Zimbabwe also comes at time when there have been strong indications that the country could also host neighbours Zambia’s 2010 WC and African Cup of Nations qualifiers.
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Full report in The Herald
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| Workers to down tools at Bay stadium - 15/11/2007 |
Work at PE’s 2010 stadium will grind to a halt indefinitely as workers embark on a solidarity strike that officials say will shatter any hope of the stadium meeting its already tight deadline. The Herald reports that the National Union of Mineworkers confirmed that workers at all 2010 WC stadium construction sites would down tools from in solidarity with striking workers at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. The latest setback is likely to increase international speculation that SA will be unable to complete work on all its stadiums before the 2010 WC.
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| Double blow for PE stadium - 14/11/2007 |
Nelson Mandela Bay’s soccer stadium has been hit with a double blow following concerns that it might not be completed in time for the 2009 Confederations Cup and the possibility that workers might embark on a strike next week. The Herald reports that SA’s LOC for the 2010 WC said plans to hold the Confederations Cup at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium a year before the WC might have to be shelved due to construction delays. However, municipal officials have denied this, saying construction is on track. Tim Modise, communications director of the 2010 LOC, said the deadline for completing two of the five stadiums being built for the 2010 WC was ’very, very tight’. However, municipal manager Graham Richards insisted the stadium would be completed on time, with the pitch laid well in advance of the Confederations Cup.
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| Durban WC strike may spread - 14/11/2007 |
The ongoing strike that has seen construction workers down tools at Durban’s Moses Mabhida stadium could spread to other 2010 stadiums that are under construction, as well as the high speed Gautrain. And at a march through the Durban city centre the union’s KZN organiser Bonginkosi Mncwabe said there would be disruptions to the preliminary draw for the 2010 WC set to be held at Durban’s International Convention Centre. According to a report on the IoL site, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said it had issued notices for secondary strikes to major construction employers involved in the building of 2010 projects.
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Full report on the IoL site
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| Major transformations under way - 12/11/20007 |
Johannesburg will spend between R3bn and R4bn per year over the next five years while it generates around R30bn for private sector property developers. According to a TradeInvestSA report, a Johannesburg metro makeover project will see the city transformed into one dominated by wide boulevards with landscaped pavements, multi-storey flats, offices and entertainment. Johannesburg wants to introduce the bus rapid transit (BRT) system in 2009. The first phase of the BRT is already under construction and will run from Soweto to Sandton via the CBD, Parktown and Rosebank. The initial phases of the BRT will provide for the requirements of visitors to the city during the 2010 WC.
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| Strike cripples 2010 construction - 12/11/2007 |
Construction of the 2010 World Cup stadiums could be crippled if a payment dispute between construction workers and their employers are not resolved properly, trade union representing the workers threatened. According to a China View report, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said the strike action, which already halted the construction of a 2010 World Cup stadium in Durban, would spread to other 2010 projects if their demands for more bonuses and safer working environment are not met. ’We will spread the protest action to all other 2010 projects so that the message is loud and clear,’ Bonginkosi Mncwabe, a regional co-ordinator of the NUM.
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Full China View report
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| 2010 stadia under threat - 11/11/2007 |
Workers at 2010 stadiums across the country would down tools if a resolution is not reached in the wage dispute at Durban’s Moses Mabidha stadium by Monday, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said. ’We will spread the protest action to all other 2010 projects so that the message is loud and clear. Companies have agreed to pay only R500 for project bonuses over three months, and we want them to pay R1 500 a month,’ said NUM’s regional co-ordinator Bonginkosi Mncwabe. FIN24 reports that workers at the stadium demanded project bonuses, that a health and safety inspector be appointed on site and that the companies must comply with the civil engineering industry hourly rate of R11.09.
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Full FIN24 report
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| Strike set to continue warns Cosatu - 09/11/2007 |
Unless Ethekwini Municipality leadership push the 2010 stadium construction company to pay its workers decent wages, the labour strike will continue, said Cosatu. ’We know that there are various leaders who are connected to Group Five through their construction companies; all of this is a cause for concern and it justifies silence,’ said Cosatu. According to a report on the IoL site, the union said it was very angry with the attitude of the Group Five company in charge of building the stadium. ’Group Five does not care and they do not care about the possibility that such a strike may be prolonged so as to compromise the 2009 deadline. They do not care because they are going to receive their entire package and the excuse for not meeting timelines would be workers’ strike.’
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Full report on the IoL site
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| Major skills shortage in construction industry - 09/11/207 |
The boom in the construction industry is being hampered by the shortage of skills and the HIV pandemic. Craig Jessop, managing director of Group Five KwaZulu-Natal, said yesterday the industry was faced with a huge challenge of unskilled labour. The Sowetan repots that the company was offered the contract to build the R2.6bn Moses Mabhida stadium in Durban for the 2010 World Cup. Jessop said the HIV-Aids pandemic had compounded the skills problem. He said as of now 30% of the staff at the construction site were HIV positive.
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Full report in The Sowetan
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| No end to strike in site - 09/11/2007 |
Hundreds of strikers converged on Durban’s Moses Mabhida 2010 World Cup Stadium on Friday as the third day of the construction workers’ strike began. Brandishing sticks, umbrellas and knob kerries, the growing crowd began toyi-toying outside the stadium. According to a report on the iafrica.com site, police in riot gear were seen 50 metres from the stadium entrance gate to ensure that a Durban High Court ruling was met. The Group Five-WBHO Consortium obtained an interdict preventing construction workers from entering the site where the Moses Mabhida 2010 World Cup Stadium is being built.
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| Full steam ahead for Bay stadium - 09/11/2007 |
The construction of the Nelson Mandela Bay multipurpose stadium in PE for the 2010 World Cup is on schedule, and will be ready by 2009, in time for the Confederations Cup, says construction group Grinaker-LTA civil engineering operations director: civil engineering business unit Peter Meidlinger. As the stadium will be used in the Confederations Cup in June 2009, there will be ’float’ time between the official completion date, and the first time it will be used, says Meidlinger. Engineering News reports that the stadium will be located in the north end area of PE, and will consist of up to 43 000 permanent seats, and an additional 5 000 temporary seats for the World Cup.
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Full Engineering News report
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