Francistown Stadium
Due for completion ahead of World Cup
Among the outstanding ones are the Sir Serestse Khama Airport upgrade in Gaborone and the brand new Francistown Stadium which are both due for completion before June 2010, ahead of the FIFA World Cup games which will be hosted in neighboring South Africa. They are intended to pump back large amounts of revenue into the country in the course of the games as some teams will travel in order to use the stadium for training.
Challenges have been encountered on the P175 million(US$25 million) Francistown Stadium project. The team headed by Arup Botswana, faced shortage of skilled manpowerbut despite this the project main contractor Tuwana Construction has given assurances that the project will be complete ahead of the eminent 2010 World Cup games and they are working around the clock to ensure that this happens. Due to the size of this project and to allow for flexibility in the funding aspect of the works, it has had to be dissected into 2 stages. Phase 1 of the construction carries the bulk of the prescribed development, which revolves around the main arena and the immediate support facilities.
Like any other country, Botswana has not been spared the negative impact of the global economic recession. This has take the form of cutbacks on public expenditure with projects suspended or cancelled altogether. Despite this the government of Botswana has forged ahead with many projects on course and on schedule.
Facilities
The main arena comprises of grand stands, with the only covered stands being located on the west side along with public toilets. Enclosed by these steel and concrete structures there will be a pitch measuring 105 x 68m, upon which a natural turf will be laid, complemented by an aesthetic athletic track.
Other important support facilities include two houses for caretakers, an entrance point, a sub-station, ticket booths, gate houses and various tuck shops. A multi-purpose hall which is meant to house indoor activities such as badminton and chess, and a funhouse are the major structures which make up phase 2 of construction works, with an additional four tuck shops, sub-station, public toilets and changing rooms completing the list for the P60 million(US$8.7 million) stage.
Project Team
Architect: Sim Design GroupCivil & structural engineer: Arup Botswana
Quantity surveyor: Kille & Dannhauser
Electrical engineer: Systems & Services
Mechanical engineer: Lasco Engineer
Main contractor: Tuwana
