The closure of Moses Mabhida Stadium’s Skycar for six days has cost the Durban stadium thousands of rand in lost business. General manager Imraan Mahomed said on Thursday that the car would reopen to the public on Friday.
Mahomed said the Skycar had been closed from Saturday until Thursday after a malfunction, leading to a loss of oil and hydraulic pressure.
The valve that failed was replaced at the weekend.
However, the hydraulic oil used was not a standard product and had to be mixed according to specification.
The stadium could not procure the oil on Easter Sunday or Monday.
A message had been posted on the stadium’s website saying that the Skycar would be closed for maintenance.
The message was removed by Thursday night.
Asked how much money the stadium had lost while the Skycar was not operational, Mahomed replied: “On average, the Skycar would normally entertain about 600 people on a public holiday and 300-350 on a week day.”
According the website, pricing is R55 for adults, R50 for pensioners and R30 for children under 12.
Children under six ride free of charge.
The Skycar takes two minutes to reach the top of the arch, for a 360º view of Durban. - The Mercury