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August 21 - The future of Soccer City, which is due to stage the final of 2010 World Cup, has been secured after the City of Johannesburg signed a 99-year lease on the stadium near Soweto.

 

 

The Soccer City Stadium is currently undergoing a major R1.5 billion (£116 million) upgrade for the World Cup, with a new design inspired by traditional African pottery, that will increase its capacity from 78,000 to 94,700.

 

 

It is also due to hold the opening match, four more first-round matches, one second-round match and one quarter-final during next year's tournament.

 

South Africa's then-apartheid Government originally sold the ground on which the stadium is built to a Trust in 1987.

 

South Africa's Sports Minister Makhenkesi Stofile said: "That money was never paid and there was no compliance with the terms of that sale.

 

"As a result, that sale was nullified.

 

"Hence, the signing of this agreement is the culmination of a long period of negotiations between Government and other stakeholders.

 

“It is imperative that this land, on which the Stadium is built, belongs to the people of South Africa.

 

"Our intended purposes for this land must live beyond our own life span.”

 

City of Johannesburg Executive Mayor Amos Masondo said that the signing of the lease agreement was a “significant development".

 

He said: “The signing of this long-term lease will ensure the sustainability of the stadium.

 

"It will now truly become a venue of choice for the hosting of both national and international events.

 

"The Soccer City project is viewed by Government as part of a bigger programme that seeks to restore the dignity of our people."

 

Danny Jordaan, the chief executive of the 2010 World Cup, claimed that the new agreement will help ensure that the event will leave a lasting legacy.

 

He said: “The initiative of building Soccer City was designed for us to have a cathedral in the name of football and indeed there are many memories attached to this stadium.

 

"Soccer City Stadium has become an arena not just for soccer, but for other activities.

 

"Hence, we are all looking forward to the opening game of the 2010 soccer World Cup which will give us an opportunity to celebrate the work we started in 1987."