Parliament has welcomed Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s announcement of R2-billion that will be set aside for the restoration of the damaged Parliamentary buildings following the three-day fire that gutted parts of the precinct, including the historic National Assembly Chamber, in January this year.

On Wednesday Godongwana delivered his Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement at the Cape Town City Hall owing to the fire damage, at a time when the country is facing many challenges that threaten to cripple the economy.

The fire caused extensive damage to key offices, chambers and meeting rooms in the National Assembly and Old Assembly buildings.

Forty-nine-year-old Zandile Mafe, who confessed to the crime, was arrested after the fire broke out. 

Parliament, in conjunction with the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure have worked together towards restoring the affected buildings over a three-year timeframe.

“In our submission to the Treasury, we motivated that the funds be directly allocated to Parliament, instead of the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure. The submission is informed by the weighty and extraordinary task at hand, the urgency of the project and stronger oversight required for the success of a project of this magnitude,” Parliament said.

Further, Parliament has also welcomed the further allocation of R118-million for unforeseen and unavoidable expenditure as a result of the impact of both the fire and Covid-19 on the operations of Parliament.

Parliament has also been encouraged by the National Treasury’s commitment to an allocation of R100-million per annum in the medium-term period towards remedying its budget baseline, which has suffered significant erosion over the years through budget cuts.