Five new stadiums have been built for the tournament (three new match venues and two new practice grounds), and five of the existing venues are to be upgraded. Construction costs are expected to be R8.4bn.[18]
In addition to the stadiums being built and upgraded, South Africa is also planning to improve its current public transport
infrastructure within the various cities, with projects such as the Gautrain and the new Bus Rapid Transit system (BRT) titled Rea Vaya.[19] Danny Jordaan, the president of the 2010 World Cup organising
committee, has said that he expects all stadiums for the tournament to be completed by October 2009.[20]
The country is also going to implement special measures to ensure the safety and security of local and international tourists attending the matches in accordance with standard FIFA requirements,[21] including a temporary restriction of flight operation in the airspace surrounding the stadiums.[22]
[edit] Construction strike
70,000 construction workers[23] who were supposed to be working on
the new stadiums walked off their jobs on 8 July 2009. The majority of the workers receive R2500 per month (about £192, €224 or $313), but the
unions allege that some workers are grossly underpaid – some receiving as little as R40 (£3.11) a week. A spokesperson for the National Union of Mineworkers said to the SABC that the "no work no pay" strike will go on until FIFA assesses penalties on the organisers. Other unions threatened to strike into 2011. The World Cup
organising committee downplayed the strike and expressed confidence that the stadiums will be ready.[24][25][26]
[edit] Legacy
The following stadiums have all been upgraded to meet FIFA specification as a lasting legacy of the World Cup.
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