Aggreko has won a £30m contract to provide power for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The Telegraph reports that the company signed the contract to provide temporary power and temperature control for broadcast and technical services for the tournament. As part of the deal, Aggreko will supply broadcasting power in all 10 World Cup stadium venues, the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) and FIFA headquarters. It will also provide temperature control at the IBC. Rupert Soames, chief executive of Aggreko, said: ’Having recently supplied temporary power to both the Vancouver Winter Olympics and last year’s Confederations Cup in South Africa, we are delighted to have been selected by the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee to secure their broadcast power.’
The eThekwini municipality’s preferred bidder for the R65m entertainment contract for the 2010 World Cup has links to the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the municipality and the Moses Mabhida Stadium. That the company is also not ’100% local’ has many at the heart of Durban’s entertainment industry furious. The Mercury reports that they have hit out at the employment of the Black Pepper Consortium instead of purely Durban-based companies for the lucrative contract to oversee and manage events at the official FIFA Fan Fest, beach festival and public viewing areas in Umlazi and KwaMashu.
Mugabe’s nephew lands major FIFA deal 22/02/2010
In Zimabwe, the exclusive and lucrative contract to sell FIFA’s World Cup hospitality packages has been awarded to president Robert Mugabe’s nephew, businessman and former Zanu-PF MP Philip Chiyangwa, who is the subject of international sanctions. Chiyangwa’s Native Investment Group (NIG) was hand-picked late last year to sell World Cup packages for FIFA. The Cape Times reports that while ticket prices are being slashed in South Africa to fill stadiums, and Zimbabwean fans had only bought 546 tickets by the beginning of this month, Chiyangwa has claimed his Native Investment Group, which he directs, is doing a rip-roaring trade.
A 25-year-old contract killer has accused an influential ANC leader in Mpumalanga of offering him R100000 and a cushy government job if he poisoned government officials who were blocking access to tenders linked to the 2010 soccer World Cup. The ANC boss, whose name is known to the Sunday Times, was fingered by more than a dozen other sources interviewed during a three-week investigation into the killings of at least a dozen senior politicians in Mpumalanga starting in 1998. The would-be assassin said he had been given the poison and had been ready to do the job, but had pulled out after a disagreement with his ’client’ over an advance fee.
The 2010 Local Organising Committee has listed the following tender: The provision of flood lighting systems for team base camps during the 2010 World Cup. So me training sites will require complete installations. The closing date for submissions is 22 February.
Mayor named in 2010 scandal - 04/02/2010
The executive mayor of Thembisile Hani municipality in Mpumalanga has been fingered in a R2,6 million 2010 World Cup Fan Parks project scandal that led to the suspension of municipal manager Koos Mahlangu during a special council sitting. The Sowetan reports that an internal investigation found Mahlangu guilty of unauthorised expenditure for awarding a contract to Friends Events Management Services in which executive mayor Victor Nkosi is listed as a ’patron’. According to the committee tasked with investigating the scandal, Mahlangu confessed that the documents were not asked for or received from the company.
World Cup Fan Fest organisers say Capetonians can get ready for a month-long ’jol’ on the Grand Parade during the tournament. The Cape Argus reports that the historic square opposite the city hall will be the official fan park for the 2010 World Cup. Phase one of a multi-phased upgrade has been completed, with city officials expected to add the final touches closer to the event. The 2010 fan fest tender was last month awarded to a joint venture between World Sport, VWV and Grand Parade Investments. World Sport is also the organiser of the J&B Met.
Three months to pull off one of the biggest publicity events Durban has seen is the ’mission impossible’ facing potential bidders. The Independent reports that this week, eThekwini Municipality released the tender document for a consortium to provide Event Management Services for the 2010 World Cup, which must reflect the city’s aim of ’Durban marketing itself as the Events Capital of Africa’.The tender, which incorporates three major events to run alongside the 2010 World Cup, closes on February 1 and has been described by some in the public relations and marketing field as an ’almost impossible task’ to complete in the time frame.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has lambasted government’s investment in competing undersea cables through two separate state-owned businesses.
DA shadow deputy minister of science and technology Marian Shinn says there is no valid reason both Broadband Infraco and Sentech should have financial obligations to two separate cable systems.
Sentech has been in financial dire straits for several years and has battled to source funding for some of its major projects. These include the roll-out of digital migration across SA, expected to be completed by 2011; and its involvement as a backup service to Telkom for the 2010 World Cup this year.
German auto giant Daimler has won a contract to deliver 460 long-distance Mercedes-Benz buses to South Africa in April for use in the 2010 World Cup. Daimler signed a contract with Autopax, a subsidiary of the South African national railway PRASA. Parts of the buses are to be manufactured in Brazil, with final assembly in a South African factory located in East London, where Daimler has invested one million euros to boost capacity. In August, Daimler won a contract for 125 Mercedes-Benz shuttle busses to be used in providing access to a high-speed train line being built for the World Cup.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions in Limpopo has demanded that hawkers not be removed from their places of trade during the 2010 Fifa World Cup. Limpopo secretary Dan Sebabi said Cosatu, along with other lobby groups and the South African Municipal Workers Union, were busy organising hawkers in Polokwane to ensure that their strategic place in the city’s economic activities was not undermined during the soccer spectacle next year. ’We have already had several preparatory meetings with hawkers and our partners, and we will be officially launching the initiative early next year.’
The government has compromised existing contractual relationship in its deal with Fifa for the right to stage next years World Cup. According to Sake24, the agreement will lead to a breach of contract for outdoor advertisers. In terms of the agreement, municipal regulations in the host cities will ban outdoor advertising in several zones. Les Holley, of Out of Home Media SA, said the regulations would force its members to break contracts, as they had entered into agreements of at least one year, or, more commonly, five years with outdoor advertisers. Holley also said it was not clear who would pay for the removal and re-installation of the advertisements.
German auto giant Daimler said it has won a contract to deliver 460 long-distance Mercedes-Benz buses to South Africa starting in April for use in the 2010 World Cup. Daimler signed a contract with Autopax, a subsidiary of the South African national railway PRASA, a statement said without providing financial details, notes a report on the iafrica.com site. Parts of the buses are to be manufactured in Brazil, with final assembly in a South African factory located in East London, where Daimler has invested $1.46-million to boost capacity.
Mbombela municipal manager Jacob Dladla was found guilty of corrupt practices related to the R920m 2010 World Cup Mbombela Stadium scandal last week and fired with immediate effect. Sunday World reports that Dladla lost his R820 000 a year salary after he was found guilty on all of the five charges he faced, including one that he manipulated the tender awarded to construction company Lefika Emerging Equity Group, which is co-owned by Kaizer Chiefs manager Bobby Motaung. Lefika was awarded the deal to build the 43000-seater stadium in Nelspruit that will be used for 2010 World Cup games at a cost of R920m.
The City of Cape Town says a lease agreement error, which could see its 2010 World Cup stadium being rented to operator Sail Stadefrance for R1 a year, is ’immaterial’. A bungle on the Cape Town Stadium lease agreement has reduced the annual base rental from R100 000 to R1. The error was repeated twice - in digits and words - in the lease agreement. But the city says the mistake is nothing to worry about, because the lease agreement obliges the operator to pay the greater amount of either the base rental of R1 or 30% of the operator’s profit before tax. The city’s 2010 project head, Mike Marsden, told the Cape Argus that the base rental would only come into play if the operator’s earnings before tax fell below R333 333.
It has emerged that the SABC, which used the World Cup as an excuse to avoid an interdict overturning a questionable R400m contract, does not have a broadcasting contract with FIFA. That, says a report in The Mercury, is what the Johannesburg High Court is expected to hear today when the public broadcaster is hauled back to court by Digital Horizons over a tender dispute. Last year, the national broadcaster told the court it had obligations to FIFA to televise the June Confederations Cup and World Cup, and could not delay the awarding of a contract to buy four high-definition outside-broadcast vans from Sony South Africa even though competing bidder Digital Horizons claimed that the award was unfair. In response to a subpoena, lawyers for FIFA’s agent, Host Broadcast Services (HBS), said there was no contract, notes the report.
The 2010 Organising Committee has issued the following tender: The sourcing, management and administration of accommodation for volunteers for the 2010 World Cup. This bid does not include the actual volunteer programme and/or total number of volunteers on the programme. Closing date for submissions in December 7.
Avis wins kiosk contract 13/11/2009
Car rental company Avis Rent a Car (Avis) has won the tender from Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) for prime kiosk positions at the nine State-owned and Acsa-controlled airports for five years, including additional space for car rental kiosks and parking. Engineering News reports that Avis CE Wayne Duvenage says that this includes Acsa providing the company with additional space at OR Tambo International Airport. This has necessitated a R5-million revamp to create a new kiosk that is aimed at service delivery. ’Avis has expended about R250m over the past three years in gearing up for the future. This includes car rental, tourism and transport growth in South Africa. The 2010 World Cup is a peg in the sand, but the expansions are to cater for growth for the next decade,’ concludes Duvenage.
Local firm reports good project portfolio 06/11 2009
Black economic-empowerment company United Valves Company (UVC) tells Engineering News it has taken on the reconditioning and refurbishment of one of the valves used by water and sanitation service provider Rand Water. Engineering News reports that UVC has been awarded the contract to supply its RSV gate valve to a contractor for water and sanitation service provider Johannesburg Water. The company has also won a R2-million contract to supply valves to a number of 2010 World Cup stadiums, including the Ellis Park and Orlando stadiums. The projects are in the final stages and will be completed by the end of the year.
The provincial government has, for the second time, invited tenders for a long-term operator for the R54 million upgraded Philippi Stadium. The Cape Argus reports that the stadium is due to be one of two World Cup training venues in Cape Town. The province invited parties to submit proposals to lease the stadium late last year, but no one applied. Now, as contractors add the final touches ahead of the World Cup final draw next month, the provincial government has again embarked on a mission to find a suitable operator. The tenant will be responsible for implementing a youth and soccer development programme, and will be responsible for the maintenance of the precinct, the stadium and the world-class soccer pitch.
Engineer takes city to court over 2010 contracts 01/11/2009
A civil engineer has taken the city to the Equality Court for not giving black firms the chance to work on 2010 projects. He is also upset that the construction of the Klipfontein corridor has been delayed until after the World Cup, notes a Cape Argus report. Stanley Manong, managing director of Manong and Associates, has named the mayor of Cape Town, the city of Cape Town, the MEC for transport, public works and property management, and civil engineering company Ninham Shand as respondents. Manong filed papers in the Equality Court, at the Cape High Court, claiming that his company had been excluded from participating in designing the Klipfontein corridor project ’in a practice that appears to be legitimate but which is aimed at maintaining exclusive control of the civil engineering industry by white consulting engineering firms’.
Volvo South Africa, the company contracted to build 25 buses for Port Elizabeth’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, has already begun building a prototype for the R100-million tender and is expected to deliver the first batch of buses early next year, notes a report on the iafrica.com site. Municipal spokesperson Kupido Baron said the 25 buses, of which 24 will be articulated and one a regular single coach, will cost an estimated R85-million, and the all-inclusive price of the project is R100-million. ’I do not want to commit to a date, but the first few buses will be running early next year, quite some time before the 2010 World Cup starts,’ said Baron. ’The final unit is expected to be completed during June 2010.’
The 2010 Local Organising Committee has issued the following tender: The provision of interior and decor consulting services for the 2010 World Cup. A compulsory briefing will take place at Safa House (Johannesburg) on 30 October. Closing date for submissions is 16 November.
Tenders: FWC 24 & 25 17/10/2009
The 2010 Local Organising Committee has issued the following tenders: The provision of internal catering services (closing date is 9 November); The 2010 International Broadcast Centre (IBC) food service programme (closing date is 9 November).
Tenders: FWC 21, FWC 22, FWC 23 - 11/10/2009
The 2010 Local Organising Committee has issued the following 2010 World Cup tenders: The Provision of Static Guards and Steward Management Services (closing date: 22 October), the Transportation, Installation, Maintenance and De-Commissioning of Speed Fencing and Crowd Barriers (closing date: 30 October), the Supply and Delivery, Installation, Maintenance, Decommission and User Training of Access Control Equipment (closing date 27 October).
Rent row hits Green Point stadium - 04/10/2009
Cape Town is set to sign away the R4.5-billion Green Point super stadium for just R1 a year, notes a City Press report. Despite fears that the venue will become a costly white elephant after the 2010 World Cup, the city is pushing ahead with a controversial deal with a French-South African consortium. The city hopes to receive a 30% share of the after-tax profits of the SAIL Stadefrance Operating Company. If the operator does not make a profit, however, the city will recover just R1 a year in rent while spending millions more on maintaining the stadium. To be viable, the building will have to host between 20 and 40 events a year.
Pump distributor Wilo Salmson South Africa has been contracted to power the water transfer systems for two new 2010 World Cup stadiums, Port Elizabeth’s (PE’s) Nelson Mandela stadium and the Green Point stadium, in Cape Town. To meet the water demand of the about 50 000 people, including players, spectators and FIFA officials, at the R1,7-billion Nelson Mandela stadium, engineers specified high-performance pumps to deliver at least 32 500 ∙/h of water at a maximum demand pressure of 6,5 bar. Engineering News reports that three Wilo Salmson MV1607 vertical multistage pumps driven by 5,5-kW motors were installed for this purpose.
Telkom has won the tender against Seacom to supply the international community with broadband coverage of the 2010 World Cup. FIN24 reports that this follows after they were selected as the national provider for the same service by FIFA. ’FIFA gave Telkom the opportunity to do the international transmission and we made the offer with competitive prices,’ said Telkom CEO Reuben September. Telkom will be using its existing cable infrastructure to deliver on its promises to FIFA and the international community.
In preparation for the 2010 World Cup, the MTN Group has contracted a South African-based network optimization firm, Arieso, to implement a major expansion project worth about US$676 million. This is to ensure a congestion-free network, seamless phones and internet access, particularly in the selected stadia during the tournament, a statement copied to the GNA said. Sameer Dave, Chief Technology Officer of MTN SA acknowledged that as Africa’s first global sponsor of the FIFA World Cup, MTN had a responsibility to ensure that the network provided a seamless service to the current customers, and the thousands of international visitors expected in South Africa next year for the World Cup.
Bay stadium operator ready for WC challenge - 16/09/2009
After months of uncertainty over the management and operation of Nelson Mandela Bay’s World Cup stadium, a deal with a company run by former SA Rugby managing director Rian Oberholzer has finally been signed and sealed. The Weekend Post reports that the three-year deal was signed last week. The new stadium operator said he was pleased to have been the official operator of the stadium ’after months of being an interim operator’. He won the bid in March this year to operate and manage the stadium. ’We are now in the process of negotiations with the metro with regards to bringing events in and also getting ready for 2010,’ Oberholzer said.
