Clearing the smoke around parliament’s rehab

Another 12 months and R4.6bn — that’s how long and how much it should take to rebuild the parts of parliament that were significantly damaged by fire in 2022. This emerged during a site visit last week by the joint standing committee on the financial management of parliament.

The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), which is overseeing the rebuild, provided an update on the project to the committee.

It includes the reconstruction of the National Assembly building, which was built in 1983 to accommodate the expanded needs of the apartheid-era tricameral parliament. This building was added to the south side of the existing Old Assembly building, which was formerly the House of Assembly, the main chamber when parliament was a whites-only institution. These two buildings in the extensive parliamentary precinct were the worst affected by the fire.

In January 2022, police officers stationed at parliament saw smoke coming from the Old Assembly building. They alerted the Cape Town fire brigade, but the blaze lasted three days and destroyed significant parts of the buildings, many of which dated to the 19^th century. The smoke could be seen from kilometres away.

A man was seen leaving the burning building through a window. Zandile Christmas Mafe, 49, was arrested on the spot and detained on charges of housebreaking, theft and arson. In December 2023, a court ruled that Mafe was “incapable of understanding court proceedings”.

Before the fire, the main chamber of the National Assembly was used for plenary sessions, debates and joint sittings, such as the state of the nation address. The building also accommodated the offices of the presiding officers (the speaker, the deputy speaker and the house chairs) and other officials.

Last week MPs donned personal protection gear and were given a safety briefing by the contractors. It was the first time many MPs had been on the construction site. (It was somewhat ironic that the visit took place on November 5 — Guy Fawkes Day, which commemorates the failed 1605 attempt to assassinate King James I by blowing up the houses of parliament in London.)

We’re excited … that the work that has long been spoken about is actually happening in earnest

—   Xolile George

During the walkabout, officials were grilled by MPs, including the speaker of the National Assembly, Thoko Didiza, on the timelines. They wanted a cost breakdown and assurances that the project would be completed on time — contractors were given a 20-month deadline at the end of March, when the department of labour issued a construction permit.

“Those 20 months, I take it that includes both the construction and the testing?” asked Didiza. In response, Chuene Ramphele, group executive for the infrastructure delivery division at the DBSA, said some of the material needed for the reconstruction had already been ordered. “We are looking at November 2026 for completion. That is where the plans are,” he told MPs.

The DBSA has appointed Raubex Building for the reconstruction of the National Assembly. A total of R2.27bn has been budgeted for this part of the project.

The restored National Assembly building will include meeting rooms on the first floor. Above that will be the parliament chamber. According to the project design, the space will become an area that “normal South Africans” can visit. Previously, the building was very inward facing. It is intended to create a welcoming public space for visitors and tour groups.

Much of the early work at the Old Assembly included the salvaging of heritage fixtures and the demolition of unsafe sections of the building.

Speaking to the FM after the site visit last week, Sanny Ndhlovu, co-chair of the standing committee, said she wanted to assure South Africans that the committee would play its oversight role and that committee members would “follow the money”. She said they were “very happy” with the progress they saw during the visit. “There’s been a lot of [negative] talk outside, and we didn’t know whether it was the truth or not.” Ndhlovu is hopeful that the new parliament will be ready by the state of the nation address in 2027.

Several reasons have been given for the long delay in starting work, including the initial investigation of the fire and the need to get heritage approval for the Old Assembly restoration.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the visit, secretary to parliament Xolile George said: “We’re excited as parliament and presiding officers that the work that has long been spoken about is actually happening in earnest, and there’s a lot of progress.” But he added that further, unforeseen delays are possible. “Those things do happen in the natural life of a construction process, but we are very determined that the capacity will be there.”

During the portfolio committee meeting after the visit, Ramphele took MPs through a timeline and some of the work that has been done on the project so far. Some MPs were unconvinced, and despite the site visit and presentations, there were not always answers for all the questions.

The DA’s Frederik Badenhorst wanted a breakdown of the costs. He also wanted to know why the budget had apparently increased from R2.2bn to R4.6bn. “How do you justify that increase against that design feature and what forms of consultation were employed in this decision? What assurances do we have that the completion of this project won’t be postponed, because it’s been postponed many times?”

ANC MP Helen Neale‐May called the walkabout “both informative and inspiring. The scale of the rebuild is truly a mammoth task, and the way the iconic features of parliament are being restored and modernised is impressive.”

However, she questioned some of the interior finishes at the 90 Plein Street offices. “The carpeting appeared somewhat worn, and the grey tone seemed less complementary compared to the darker brown used in the other passageways. We need to get some information about the fabrics that are used on the chairs, the colour co-ordinations, because [they need to match] this beautiful building.”

MK Party member Des van Rooyen, infamous for his short-lived stint as finance minister, asked the officials if the project was BEE compliant. “I will be happy if I can be assured that that matter is being taken care of, because I’ve just seen demographics that are not a reflection of who we are as a country.”

Hlengiwe Mkhaliphi of the EFF asked when the buildings would be ready for handover and to be used. She also wanted an update on the investigation into the fire. “We are going to spend so many billions on the project for the rebuilding of parliament. But we don’t hear about the consequences for who was involved. Who was responsible? Who must take responsibility? We don’t hear about progress in that regard.”

MPs also asked what was being done to ensure that another fire doesn’t occur. “We’re doing everything that we can to avoid another fire,” one official said in response. Apparently, the latest technology is being employed to make the restored buildings virtually fireproof.

Officials told MPs that there had been no cost overruns so far on the rebuild. The total budget was R4.6bn, they said, adding that they hoped that the medium-term budget statement would confirm that the money had been allocated.