Durban 2010 site costs R6.5m – I say it’s a rip-off
11. Jun, 2009
13 Comments
Just been reading the below article on ITWeb. This is daylight robbery, I don’t care who says what…it’s only a website for god sake and not a software innovation. Pity them…
I don’t agree with statement from Julie-May Ellingson:
“While other host cities have pages on their Web sites with information on 2010, Durban is the first city to create a site entirely dedicated to the soccer tournament.”
My question to Julie-May Ellingson, is www.fifaworldcup.durban.gov.za not a page within the Durban.gov.za site? This is the actual location of the page http://www.durban.gov.za/durban/campaign2/fifa-world-cup/view, with a hyperlink directing it into a new window, making it look like an independent website. If Durban.gov.za were to shut down now, that fifawordcup page will also be history…therefore it’s not an independent website. AdaptIT, the company behind the design got a jackpot…lucky them…(Durban municipality I pity your investment).
Snippet from ITWeb:
Durban has spent R6.5 million on its official 2010 Web site, which will showcase the city’s Fifa World Cup developments to the country and visitors.
Head of Durban’s strategic projects unit, Julie-May Ellingson, says the Web site will initially serve as an information portal for residents and visitors looking for information on the city.
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While the price for the Web site may be high, she says it will be a “platform to showcase the city and its 2010 developments to the rest of the world” and falls within the city’s budget.
Read the entire article on ITWeb.co.za
My name is Muzi Mohale a full-time travel blogger, your host at Travelwires.com responsible for all editorial on this blog. I blog about the travel and tourism industry in Africa. Apart from blogging about tourism, I also run 
For all we know, this whole thing could be one of those shady deals, where taxpayers money is for distributed among the same ppl who claim to have invested the amount— something is fishy about this, btw the site looks crapy – a WP theme looks 100 times better and it costs, you know much..
Complete waste of money, not even an easy name to navigate to. What on earth are the Durban municipality thinking. First they waste money on the Durban World Cup stadium, when there was nothing wrong with the existing stadium, now they’ve pissed another R7m against the wall.
I agree that the money should have been invested better. This website should be a Wiki where the durban community could create the content.
Gosh! The company I work for, Flow Communications, developed Cape Town’s site, which cost less than R300 000! Check it out – would love to know what you think?
http://www.capetown.travel/2010
Cape Town 2010 website is more interactive by offering the user endless options to spend more time on the website.
It’s very discouraging that the Durban municipality has wasted huge amounts of money on a below average product, (imagine that only R300k was spent on Cape Town 2010 website which is highly superior compared to the Durban dummy…
what the hell were they thinking spending 6.5Mill i would have done it for only R6000. must be one of those famous dodgy deals the poor SA public has to pay for. http://www.web4nothing.com will beat that quote
Apparently in Russia what the government would do to steal money is widen roads. they would be widened by 20cm on paper but actually only by 10cm. That way someone gets to pocket the cost for 10cm over hundreds of miles.
This website scam is way better though. Plus it really builds our credibility within the international community…
I loved every moment of this. It’s amazing how much people would do for money. I could have designed that site a lot better and created a lot more “cutting edge” software for it. It looks like a wordpress theme though and they are using the ‘Sharethis’ Plugin?? Two days ago I developed my own social networking plugin from tutorials all over the net, while sitting here… bored, in my bedroom. For R6.5m I’d expect a robot with arms and legs to be showing off Durban’s talents. Lol.
Well the website does not have any databases , for accomodation , it refers you to Fifa. For places to see , it refers you to the Zulu.org website. This thing woul have been done with pure html alone.
I read their explanation from somewhere and they said its only phase 1. Phase 2 will include “feed integration” from FIFA. Wow , what an innovation? It takes a phase to integrate “feeds” in a website.
As for AdaptIT , they are building a bad reputation for BEE companies out there.
The cost does not coreespond with the site designed…
when will it end ? the mismanagement of our money !!!!
Anyone wanting information on Durban for the 2010 World Cup and beyond, take a look at our site – http://www.teamdurban.co.za
Best of all – it cost us R10000 to develop!
I can tell youm one thing I know the company that developed it, and IT deals in this city move around same hands, I made a proposition to the city my idea I found it to have been passed along to guess who same company shame on those people.
I will tell it's a rip off.
I can tell you one thing I know the company that developed it, and IT deals in this city move around same hands, I made a proposition to the city my idea I found it to have been passed along to guess who same company shame on those people.
Once I propose an idea to the municipality there and next thing my idea has been passsed you know to whom – AdaptIT.