Erecting makeshift National Assembly chamber to take 24 days

CAPE TOWN - The public works department says it will take 24 days from this week to erect a makeshift structure that will serve as the National Assembly chamber for the next two years.

The dome was acquired back in 2013 for the Eastern Cape funeral of former president, Nelson Mandela.

The department said that the structure would be in place in time for the State of the Nation Address (SONA) in February.

However, Parliament has already indicated that the event will again be held at the Cape Town City Hall.

In November, eight shipping containers containing the dome components arrived in Cape Town and have been standing on the parking lot across the road from Parliament, where it is to be erected.

Parliament, in November, had to abandon a plenary sitting in a temporary marquee positioned in the same spot due to strong winds which posed a safety risk.

Public works spokesperson, Lennox Mabaso, said that the dome’s installation would be overseen by its chief professional architect responsible for its prestige portfolio, which includes all parliamentary buildings and accommodation.

He said that the structure would save the state a lot of money over the next two years.

Public works said its portion of the bill for this project was around R12 million, while Parliament would be responsible for the cost of the interior furnishings.

Parliament has been without a National Assembly chamber for almost three years now since the New Year's arson attack in 2022 completely destroyed the New Assembly building, and large parts of the Old Assembly building too.

Construction of the new Parliament is set to start in January.