The construction of Parliament’s interim home has begun in earnest with the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) having conducted the official site handover for the dome installation to the contractor, in Cape Town.
Director-General of the DPWI, Sifiso Mdakane Mdakane, conducted the official site hand over for the Dome installation to the contractor in Cape Town, on Tuesday.
“The Dome will serve as the temporal home for Parliament for the next 24 months, whilst Parliament is being rebuilt, following the fire that gutted it two years ago. The Dome will be set up at the Niewmeester Parking Site within the Parliamentary Precinct,” said the department in a statement.
The project of setting up the dome is expected to take 24 days from the official handover, which will be on time for the 2025 opening of Parliament and the State of the Nation address (SONA).
The project has the blessing of the Speaker of the National Assembly, Thoko Didiza and the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson.
“The erection of this structure is set to save the state a lot of money in terms of accommodating Parliament in the next two years. Today, eight, twelve metre containers, carrying all the necessary accessories and parts, which were transported from the Defence Force storage facility in Pretoria, to Cape Town, were handed over to commence construction by Director-General, Sifiso Mdakane,” the department said.
The project is being overseen by the Chief Professional Architect from the Prestige Unit of the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure and construction experts.
The department said it will provide regular updates until the completion of this project and official handover to Parliament.-SAnews.gov.za
