Secretary to Parliament Xolile George noted on Thursday that Parliament is currently working on creating 54 additional offices, with an envisaged completion date of July, before the commencement of the Seventh Parliament.

George was briefing the media on the reconstruction project, on which he said much work had been ongoing from January 2022.

He announced that Parliament was busy identifying space between the eighth and fourteenth floors, in the 90 Plein Street building, to accommodate the additional offices for MPs.

The 54 new offices will be in addition to the 155 offices that were reconfigured on the fourth and fifth floors, last year.

Also included are three pause areas and two hybrid boardrooms.

George highlighted that the internal finishes were intended to give a professional outlook and to foster teamwork and collaboration among MPs. He noted that the entire building, including up to Marks Building, would be modernised and refurbished.

George said the facilities align with the National Building Regulations and fire management codes.

He announced that there were two full professional teams appointed, highlighting that the first phase of work – clearance work and removal of the fire damaged section of the building – began in May.

He said the second phase – main works on the new design – would kick off at the end of August.

The resultant designs had been informed by a wide range of factors, including cost, time, practical user needs as well as heritage.

Parliament’s historical significance was declared in 2014 as a National Heritage Point, in terms of the National Heritage Act of 2014.

He noted that although the fire caused a devastating loss, recovery remained possible, highlighting that a reimagining of the democratic Parliament complex that met functional and practical needs and reflected the diverse cultures of South Africa was seen as a vital outcome of this process.

On Thursday Parliament handed the site to contractors, noting that its operations will be affected.

George highlighted that after the fire, the site was taken over by the law enforcement agencies for investigations and later handed to the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure.

He said Parliament took over the responsibility to manage the works in March 2023, highlighting that a second phase of work was undertaken to determine the extent of the damage, potential restoration and likely costs associated with various scenarios.

In October last year, R2-billion was appropriated to start the work on repairing the damage caused by the fire that engulfed Parliament.

He said as a result of the studies conducted and subsequent issue of permits by the South African Heritage Resources Agency, limited debris clearance and stabilisation work in safe areas were undertaken during 2023, along with the installation of temporary roofs to protect the building from the weather. 

He said assets were verified and a register updated, based on their net book values, and recovered assets were moved to offsite storage.

George noted that some assets were not affected by the fire but had a lower book value.