Leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Mr Julius Malema tabled a Private Member’s Bill, the Relocation of the Seat of Parliament Bill, which proposes that Parliament be moved from Cape Town to Tshwane in Gauteng. The National Assembly recently held a debate on the Bill where Members of Parliament exchanged their views on the possibilities of relocating Parliament to Tshwane.
Opening the debate, the EFF leader gave historical background to the current set up with the executive, legislature and judiciary all in different cities, which was an arrangement arising from the Anglo-Boer War peace agreement. “Today, we do not have reason to continue upholding this colonial and racial pact that the liberation party has imposed on our people – the same party that continues to impose “Die Stem” on the National Anthem, on all of us, same way they continue to impose Paul Kruger on us at Church Square in Tshwane, the statue of Louis Botha outside Parliament, and the colonial imperialist and racist Victoria behind the NCOP chambers.
“The Bill will make this Parliament a Parliament of many of our people. Our people must come to participate and be part of law-making and holding the executive accountable. The legislature and administration must be in one place to make accountability easier,” Mr Malema said.
Representing the Democratic Alliance (DA) during the debate Dr Annelie Lotriet called the debate “the wrong debate, at the wrong time and for the wrong reasons”. She warned that the relocation of Parliament should not be done based on party political or ideological considerations but should be based on comprehensive and current studies. “Relocating Parliament is not what the country needs now. We should focus on helping people to survive, helping people to improve their lives … The country is in desperate economic strain. Costs are rising, unemployment is rising, infrastructure is falling apart. We have no power and the government is doing everything it can to wreck our economic future,” said Dr Lotriet.
She also dismissed the argument that the move will save on travel costs. Rather than move Parliament, it would be better to cut the size of the Cabinet, work more efficiently and make better use of technology.
Mr Narend Singh of the Inkatha Freedom Party said whilst it was desirable that the administration and Parliament should be in the same area, the move was currently unaffordable. In terms of the Heritage Resources Act, Parliament is obliged to reconstruct and refurbish the burned down building and it estimated that it’s going to cost between R2 to 3 billion. “When we look into figures for relocation, they run into almost R13 to R14 billion. We can ill-afford to spend state resources in that kind of manner. If we base our consideration of the relocation on a cost benefit analysis and the fact that we have to rebuild the current Parliament precinct, the facts are irrevocably clear that we simply cannot afford to relocate at this time,” Mr Singh said.
His concerns about costs were shared by the Freedom Front Plus, with leader Dr Pieter Groenewald saying the figures mentioned in the draft Bill were underestimated. “For the FF Plus it is all about costs, what will it really cost the taxpayer at the end of the day. I don’t accept the figures given in the Bill, it is under-estimated,” he said.
The African National Congress also rejected the EFF Private Members Bill saying the reasons given in the Bill were not convincing and that the relocation of Parliament was not a priority given the country’s current economic situation. “Faced with other economic and social priorities for the country, this Bill is not a priority and we therefore do not support this Bill.
“In this difficult economic climate, it will be highly irresponsible to restore damaged parliamentary buildings and thereafter abandon them and move to Gauteng because of a dislike of the WC as if residents are not part of one united South Africa,” said ANC MP Mr Hope Papo.
He said the hybrid model of working, which only requires investment in network upgrades, IT gadgets and data, was the way to work for many workplaces for now and in the future, as it cuts travel and accommodation costs.
Sakhile Mokoena
20 June 2023
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