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Picture courtesy: (Moloto Mathapo via X) A contractor is expected to begin the demolition of the fire-ravaged Parliament building in Cape Town.
(The Post News)– More than two years after the Parliament building was destroyed by fire in Cape Town, the building has been handed over to a contractor, and the first phase of reconstruction has begun. The fire caused extensive damage to the new National Assembly and parts of the old wing, including the MP and staff offices, affecting the functionality of the institution.
It damaged the chamber, committee rooms, and offices of the members. The affected areas were declared a crime scene six months after the fire. However, significant progress has been made in restoring 155 MP’s offices in 2023.
George, who addressed the media with a technical team and an architect, shared designs that designers are considering.
He said they were considering different notions of what a post-apartheid parliament should look like, and moreover, to set out the parliament in the context of a country that speaks to its diversity, rich culture, and heritage. For that reason, they took into account these shaping factors and worked on how they could incorporate them into a design.
“We had given them the challenges to think deeply about how a parliament built in 2024–2026 should remain a standing symbol for the next 300–500 years,” said George.
In July 2022, the site was given over to the parliament. Then National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and NCOP Chair Amos Masondo approached Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana about financing the rebuilding process.
Godongwana declared in his October 2022 medium-term budget policy statement that R2 billion would be set aside for rebuilding over the next three years. George said that the R2 billion was not for the construction of a new parliament but rather to start the work.
“In February 2023, the allocation of R2 billion was confirmed to allow us to do the work—to restore and work on the offices. It has always been understood and said by parliament that the main cost driver will be fully determined by the final contract award. Nine contractors will take the design work and quote on what it will cost to do this,” said George.
Parliament’s special projects manager, Simon Mashigo, said in addition to the R2 billion, the need for ICT modernization, including the replacement of broadcasting equipment that was destroyed by fire, a state-of-the-art broadcasting studio, audio-visuals in all boardrooms, and the replacement of the data center and data networks, was R943 million.
Mashigo said the key financial determinants in this case are the chamber, the conferencing and voting system, the data center, and the broadcasting system.
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