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A general view of the damages caused by the Parliament fire.
PHOTO: Misha Jordaan, Gallo Images
- The Development Bank of Southern Africa has been asked to help restore Parliament's gutted National Assembly building.
- The multibillion-rand project includes the refurbishment of the burnt Old Assembly building, link building and National Assembly building.
- About R2 billion has been made available for the project and it is expected to be completed in 24 months.
Parliament has asked the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) for help to restore the gutted National Assembly building.
With nearly R2 billion at its disposal, the legislature has committed to completing the restoration and presenting a new National Assembly building within the next 24 months.
Engineers are expected to visit the site this week to make clear pathways so that workers can begin with the repairs.
On Tuesday, Secretary to Parliament Xolile George said the DBSA's infrastructure delivery division had agreed to collaborate with other stakeholders, including the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure and National Treasury.
READ | One year later, National Assembly building is still in ruins after horror fire
As an organ of state, the DBSA is accountable to Parliament, which enables the institution to oversee and hold it accountable for the project on an ongoing basis, George said.
"The DBSA is the most suitable entity to play this role, given its expertise and experience of providing infrastructure management services, which include design, construction, upgrades, refurbishment and total facilities management to several other organs of state. Its regulatory regime is largely compatible with that of Parliament," he added.
The project scope includes:
- capacity development, technical support and implementation of infrastructure projects;
- refurbishment of burnt Parliament buildings, the Old Assembly building, link building and National Assembly building;
- removal of rubble to pave the way for detailed assessments to be conducted. Once the rubble is removed and the assets tagged and secured, the DBSA will undertake assessments and detailed designs of damaged buildings, compile bills of quantities and present budget estimates and an implementation plan to Parliament;
- remodelling of 155 offices for MPs. The institution will refurbish the fourth and fifth floors, and redesign the first, second and third floors of its 90 Plein Street building to create alternative office space for MPs and staff. This will also yield 1 000 offices for displaced staff members while providing temporary relief in office space during the restoration phase;
- facilities management of the precinct (including parliamentary villages), upgrade of security infrastructure, and conceptualisation and redesign of the parliamentary precinct.
George said the restoration project would provide a unique opportunity to ensure that spaces are designed in a manner that best suits the needs of a democratic Parliament.
He said it would also modernise the institution's digital infrastructure.
"It is therefore envisaged that, through this project, South Africa will have a new chamber that fully serves the imperatives of our constitutional democracy, which includes sufficient capacity for joint sittings of the two Houses, a larger public gallery to accommodate members of the public in line with Parliament's constitutional obligations of public involvement, more office spaces for MPs, and committee rooms," he said.
The National Assembly building was built in the 1980s during the apartheid regime.
Parts of the building were destroyed in a fire on 2 January 2022.
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