Pretoria - The Peter Mokaba Stadium in Limpopo is ready to be handed over to FIFA, says Premier Cassel Mathale.
Mathale made the announcement during his State of the Province Address on Thursday.
The formal contractual handover was done in November last year and the final handover to the City of Polokwane was on 14 January when the contractor moved out of the site.
The City's 2010 marketing and communications manager, Mantlako Sebaka told BuaNews that as far as their agreement and timeline they are going to officially hand over the stadium to FIFA on 24 May.
Premier Mathale said the people of Limpopo could not contain their joy when the province was included on the list of provinces approved to host some of the matches during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, adding that the province is ready and fully prepared for the soccer spectacular.
He said all security measures were properly resourced, capacitated and in a state of readiness. The medical and emergency services have been improved in line with the requirements of the tournament.
"The Polokwane/Mankweng Hospital Complex is ready and available to offer acceptable medical services during the soccer show and beyond.
"Our hospitality facilities have also been improved with some of the lodges and hotels already fully booked," he said.
The construction of the stadium, which started in March 2007, took 32 months to complete.
The state-of-the-art, 45 000-capacity stadium opened its doors to top-flight football in January when local teams, Kaizer Chiefs, Supersport United and Wits competed in a four-team tournament that also included Danish side, Bronby IF.
The new stadium has been built adjacent to the old stadium to form the Peter Mokaba Sports Complex. From its surroundings, the R1.3 billion development has created a landmark for the city and the entire province.
Peter Mokaba Stadium is one of the host stadia of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Greece, Argentina, Paraguay, New Zealand, France and Mexico will all play their first round match at the new stadium.
