Cape Town World Cup venue complete

South Africa’s Greenpoint stadium, which has been chosen to host a 2010 World Cup semi-final, was on Monday declared complete.

“This has been worth the wait. People of Cape Town this is our stadium, it is ready for the world,” said mayor of Cape Town Dan Plato, during the opening ceremony.

The 68,000 seater stadium boosts the views of the iconic Table Mountain and the historic Robin Island, where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated.

Its 32-months construction process was dogged by labour strikes and faced fierce opposition from enviromentalists who claimed that its existence would spoil the city landscape.

Greenpoint cost 4,5 billion rand (605 million dollars) and is one of ten venues to host the 2010 football spectacle.

Other stadiums already completed include, Moses Mabhida in Durban and Soccer City in Johannesburg.