In MANGAUNG, the Free State stadium will be utilised as the main venue for the hosting of the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2009 and the 2010 FIFA World CupTM. The Free State stadium will be upgraded from the current seating capacity of 38 000 to 46 000.
Work is currently progressing reasonably well, despite continuous rainfall, labour related strikes and utilization of the stadium for Rugby and to some extend, soccer matches. About 40% of the work is already complete, compared with a target of 50%. At this stage, about 350 people have already been appointed on site, with more than 80% local labour. MANGAUNG set a target date of the 30th of August 2008 for the completion of the upgrading work. The above challenges may result in the original completion date being missed by about three weeks. Notwithstanding these challenges, the original completion date is 4 months ahead of the FIFA deadline of the 31st of December 2008. The four months safety net is therefore sufficient to ensure that MANGAUNG complies fully with its obligations to FIFA. The practical completion date for construction is now expected to occur during September 2008, which is still well ahead of the FIFA deadline.
