Port Elizabeth - The final push to demolish Telkom Park, formerly the old Boet Erasmus Stadium, is underway in Nelson Mandela Bay.
The demolition followed an extensive process in obtaining a demolition license. In June, the Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA) was able to proceed, clearing the way to leverage a prime piece of land for future developments.
The construction value of the site is valued at R10 million.
The MBDA said that the Boet Erasmus stadium became redundant when the metro built the new state-of-the-art Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
“For many years, the City had earmarked the Boet Erasmus Stadium for an International Convention Centre (ICC) but due to market forces since 2008, this idea did not materialise, and the site stood idle and fell into disrepair.”
Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Development, Tourism and Agriculture Rano Kayser, said that the demolition of the stadium marked the end of an era but also the beginning of a new era.
“The Municipality believes the cleaning of this site will pave the way for catalytic and transformative development to take place here. Socio-economic transformation can only be achieved through innovative spatial development which we are determined to see happen right here on what was a historic rugby ground in this country."
Speaking at the official demolition event on Friday, MBDA CEO Ashraf Adam said: “Govan Mbeki Avenue, The Boet Erasmus site, and Bayworld are all public assets, they're in the public imagination and the public psyche. The public has vested interests in these areas over the years and the MBDA wants them to have a say in the way forward. We want to use this opportunity as part of nation-building and what it means to live in Nelson Mandela Bay.”
Adam said that the vision was to provide a safe and secure precinct which would provide a vacant site for future development which could accommodate office space, residential, entertainment, retail and tourism activities.