Cape Town – The temporary barricades erected around the Parliament Buildings in Cape Town after it was partially destroyed in a fire on New Year’s Day 2022 will be replaced by builder’s barriers today, 10 May 2024, as a construction team is scheduled to start work on the site.
The keys to the National heritage site, parts of which date back to the 19th century, were handed over to the contractor in a public ceremony on Thursday.
The Presiding Officers of Parliament, Mr Lechesa Tsenoli and Mr Amos Masondo together with the Secretary to Parliament, Mr Xolile George today handed over the keys of the building to the contractors to begin the reconstruction work. #ParliamentReconstruction pic.twitter.com/vD3VpCACZV
— Parliament of RSA (@ParliamentofRSA) May 9, 2024
An estimated R3.1 billion has been budgeted for the rebuild, including almost R100 billion for state-of the-art information and communications technology and about R100 million for unforeseen and unavoidable costs.
However, EWN reported that Xolile George, the secretary of Parliament, had indicated that the budget was not set in stone.
“It may well be R2 billion, it may be R2.1 billion, whatever the costs – I don’t want to start anticipating but we all know in construction, the main contractor will cost and then on competitiveness they will award,” he said, adding that Parliament would be transparent about the appointment of contractors and their costs.
A special website has been launched where the public can follow the progress on site.
The date for completion of the rebuild is February 2026. The site indicates that demolition and rubble removal are expected to be completed in July after which the construction process proper is set to start.
A digital, 360° tour of the plans for the new building shows a slick design with expanded seating in the public gallery more integrated into the National Assembly itself.
News24 reports that the new Assembly hall will contain 600 seats for parliamentarians and 700 for the public.
Work on new offices for MPs has reportedly been completed; the offices were also damaged in the fire.
In December 2023, Zandile Mafe, the man accused of starting the 1 January 2022 fire, which blazed for almost three days, was declared unfit to stand trial.
No one was patrolling the building that New Year’s Eve as the Parliamentary Protection Service had been withdrawn for the holiday and the SAPS were in charge.
Parliament has been sitting in the Cape Town City Hall since the fire.
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