“HOW many people have bought tickets for the 2010 World Cup?” Tim Hewitt Coleman asked his audience. A handful of people put their hands up and were congratulated for their support of the continent.
Hewitt Coleman is an architect who assisted in the building of the Nelson Mandela Bay stadium and is an activist for urban change.
“HOW many people have bought tickets for the 2010 World Cup?” Tim Hewitt Coleman asked his audience. A handful of people put their hands up and were congratulated for their support of the continent.
Hewitt Coleman is an architect who assisted in the building of the Nelson Mandela Bay stadium and is an activist for urban change.
He presented a lecture on on Tuesday during Scifest on “The impact of South Africa’s Stadium building programme on the lives of ordinary people”.
His lecture gave the audience an insight on the impacts of the World Cup and touched on some thought provoking topics.
The most important issue that he stressed was the legacy the World Cup will leave behind. He divided the word ‘legacy’ into two very different components.
The first being the more tangible after-effects such as the improvements of airports, public infrastructure and economy.
The second definition is less tangable and includes recognition from the world and the trustworthiness given to us to build our stadiums on time. He said what we’ve built so quickly is a testament of our commitment. I couldn’t have said it better myself.
The South African government was able to construct multi-million rand, state-of-the-art stadiums in a short period meaning there is a chance for us to eradicate mud schools and build proper RDP houses in less than five years even though the world doubted that we could get the job done efficiently and professionally.
This was done through STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and partnerships formed with odinary people.
Coleman asked why the same construction industry is not able to deliver the same quality products in the housing industry and education sectors.
He says the answer is simple: it is because a clear mandate was given to the public and private sector, there were no debates, no discussions just one clear message: “Great stadiums by 2010.”
This may be a negative aspect, but South Africa should be excited about this event, this is the time when nations, countries and the world come together to celebrate the spirit and the love of soccer and after all the World Cup frenzy have a clear goal of constructing proper houses for the poor but most of all build schools!
