South Africa Moves Ahead With Parliament Reconstruction
The assembly building was gutted by fire in January 2022.
South Africa has set a November 2025 deadline to complete the reconstruction of its parliament building in Cape Town, which was gutted by fire in January 2022.
For almost three days, the fire blazed through the assembly building and the adjacent old assembly wing, causing the roof to collapse and destroying the offices of members of parliament (MPs) and staff.
A man has been charged with terrorism and arson.
The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) was appointed in March this year to lead the project, for which ZAR2 billion (US$110 million) was set aside in October 2022. DBSA is working with other stakeholders, such as the Department of Public Works & Infrastructure and the National Treasury.
It has appointed teams to carry out the concept designs and oversee the reconstruction.
In May, Simon Mashigo, appointed special project manager for the reconstruction, said the first priority was rebuilding the MP offices, along with the removal of debris and the construction of a temporary roof.
Local media reports in early August pointed out a delay in the rubble removal process. Parliament responded with a statement saying the “delay in the rubble removal process is not uncommon for projects of this nature, it will not have a material effect on the original set timeframe”. It said structural and biological risks were to blame.
Photo: Parliament building, Cape Town (© Witold Ryka | Dreamstime)
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