The oversight was the result of silo planning without proper consultation. It had been assumed that everyone in Durban possessed a car, [Transport deputy director-general Lanfranc Situma] said during the presentation of the Department of Transport’s national transport master plan up to 2050.
Michael Sutcliffe, speaking to The Associated Press at the SportsAccord International Convention, said King Shaka International Airport will be open this weekend and the Moses Mabhida railway station just outside the new 70 000-seat stadium will be open in 10 days. All road upgrades should be done by the middle of May, he said.
"The infrastructure, it's all there," Sutcliffe said. "You are getting a vibe happening."
Even the cable car at the stadium should be ready to go this week.
From May 1, Durban will be served by the new King Shaka International Airport at La Mercy, built at a cost of R7bn.
Melomoney said the sale of the old site was dependent not only on Acsa, but on the national and provincial governments. Both Acsa and the government have previously stated they will not sell the old Durban airport to anyone who is going to operate it as an airport, as that would provide competition to the new airport.
Construction work is moving apace across the city, most noticeably around the Moses Mabhida Stadium, King Shaka International Airport and at Warwick Junction, where two new flyovers are being built.
But cast your eyes away from the main centres and you'll see massive work at World Cup training venues in Umlazi, KwaMashu and Clermont - three projects which municipal manager Michael Sutcliffe described as "mini sports precincts" and are expected to cost about R300-million.
Addressing editors on the province’s readiness for the soccer tournament, Premier Sbu Ndebele said the 2010 projects were well on track.
This included the R6-billion Moses Mabhida Stadium, the new King Shaka International Airport and the Dube Tradeport in Durban’s La Mercy area.
Ndebele allayed fears that the stadium was going to be a white elephant after the World Cup.
"The stadium will not be a white elephant post 2010. The stadium will incorporate a museum and a multimedia centre which will tell the story of the Zulu people and the people of KwaZulu-Natal."