South Africa's Soccer City kicks off for 2010 World Cup

The curtain will rise and fall on Soweto's for the summer 2010 World Cup

Soccer City, Johannesburg's jewel in its crown of world cup infrastructure, will host the opening match between host nation South Africa and Mexico on June 11th, and the tournament's final match.

Plan for Soccer City Stadium courtesy Joburg.za

Soccer City accents the other nine world cup pitches which will kick into action during this year's June world cup.

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The stadium was first built in the 1980s and hosted a mass rally for Nelson Mandela after his release from a 27 year prison sentence and South Africa’s 2-0 win against Tunisia in the African Cup of nations.

But South Africa partially demolished the original stadium in 2007 rebuild it at a cost of $45.7 million.

Finished just in March, the stadium looks like a canvas of rusted zinc sheets sealed to form a bowl.

Construction on Soccer City Stadium courtesy Joburg.za

The design symbolizes a calabash, a round vine vegetable that once dried and hollowed is used as a bowl or utensil. It's a staple of African rural life. The monument further symbolizes a melting pot as the calabash sits above a ‘pit of fire' that's on a raised podium and on top of which is located a ‘pit of fire'. Together the architectural imagery represents the hoped unity of Africa's many diverse cultures.

7000 tonnes of steel imported from Italy went into this masterpiece along with thousands of fibre glass concrete panels afixed in the patchwork design on its outside.

Odd glazed transparent panels also decorate its outer shell streamming in sunlight in the day and illuminating the stadium at night.

Inside an incomplete Soccer City Stadium courtesy Joburg.za

"It looks magical from a distance; it looks magical from inside, with its multiple shapes and colours soaring above your head in a curve, as you enter," said the Joburg, the city's website.

But the gleaming stadium stand in contrast to many black South Africans who still live in the low income townships of Soweto

Many of these inhabitant won't be able to afford tickets that start at $U.S. 200.

It also stands against fears that international tourists might be to afraid to come to the South African because of its high crime rate.

Soccer City fast facts

• 80 000m3 of concrete used;
• 9 000 tons of reinforcing steel used;
• 8 000 tons of structural steel used;
• 120 000m3 of soil;
• 1 350 piles driven into the bedrock;
• Some piles 1,5m in diameter, 33m into bedrock;
• Roof supported by 12 40m-high concrete shafts and 16 circular columns 1m in diameter;
• Over 2 600 construction people on site;
• 88 851 seats;
• 11 million bricks used.
  

Courtesy Joburg.org