It’s blazing hot yet he insists on walking the 3 km from his office to the stadium. Driving wouldn’t give the same impression, he says, heading energetically into the scorching midday sunshine.
Ndavhe Ramakuela, the director of 2010 operations for the Polokwane municipality, is as proud as a new dad of the Peter Mokaba Stadium and as we stagger along in his wake he points out the 16 impressive infrastructure projects the city has embarked on, from road building to upgrading public areas.
Public walkways surround the proposed sports complex - and at the centre stands the Peter Mokaba Stadium that was started in March 2007 and is almost complete.
Prism Architects, the South African firm responsible for the design, have kept to the brief of an African theme.
“The four towers at the corners were inspired by the baobab tree and the arc of the roof represents the mountains that surround our province,” Ndavhe says.
Standing in the shadow of the soccer stadium is the Peter Mokaba Athletics stadium. The original plan was to tear this one down and build the new stadium in its place but Ndavhe says it didn’t cost much more to keep it and build a new 2010 venue right next door.
“Now we’re going to revamp the athletics stadium,” he adds. “It will be used as a training ground for teams based here.”
STADIUM STATISTICS
1 500
The number of seats in the VIP dining area.
1 126
The number of people involved in construction.
800 m²
The size of the VIP reception area.
24
The number of sky boxes - luxury seating boxes with a bird’s eye view of the pitch .
4
The number of games - all first-round matches - scheduled at Peter Mokaba Stadium.
2
The number of video screens at the stadium that will double as scoreboards.
