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FILE: Firefighters work at Parliament
The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) says it anticipates that the rebuilding of Parliament will be completed by the end of next year.
The bank briefed the Joint Standing Committee on Financial Management of Parliament on progress made in rebuilding the damaged structures.
The bank was commissioned to do reconstruction work on the parts of the institution damaged by fire in 2022.
The multibillion-rand project includes the refurbishment of the burnt old Assembly building and the new National Assembly.
About R2 billion has been made available for the project.
Group Executive for Infrastructure at DBSA Chuene Ramphele has told Parliament that the construction should be completed by November next year and the buildings will be ready for use thereafter.
“At that point we are looking at commissioning the building and in particular looking at November 2026. So, at that time the building will be practically complete by 95%. And when we said practical completion-it means it can really be used. But in terms of what we are anticipating to do is to say-once the building can be used and then probably around January will be making sure that the little…is addressed in order to ensure that we are then ready for February in the State of the Nation Address,” says Ramphele.
Construction Permit
DBSA adds that the start of the reconstruction of Parliament was delayed by the issuing of the construction permit. Ramphele says they were obliged to comply with the law.
“The site was handed over in April-we started in April after having been appointed. We were appointed in December, but the challenge we set with honourable members was the issue of the construction permit. We had to restle with labour-the department of labour to ensure that the issue of the permit for construction. We could not start if we do not have the construction permit and then also making sure the kind of health and occupational safety issues are intact to avoid any issue, because our biggest risk we wanted to avoid and mitigate for was to ensure there are no fatalities on the site.”
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, known as the Hawks says it does not rule out the possibility of arresting other persons of interest in relation to the burning of Parliament in 2022.
Zandile Mafe is the only alleged arsonist who has been arrested in connection with the fire.
“If we are having to establish new leads or to obtain new information that needs to be actioned-we will obviously follow those leads and I would also want to indicate that the investigation is conducted in collaboration with our own critical stakeholders. Any information that is made available to us will obviously be shared with crime intelligence as an example and to ask them to enhance such information,” says Acting head of the Hawks, Siphesihle Nkosi.
