There’s nothing sinister, says Mapisa-Nqakula as MPs demand to get report into Parliament’s relocation

National Assembly Speaker, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula says Cabinet still needs to be briefed before the contents of the feasibility report on the relocation of Parliament is revealed.

The issue of Parliament’s relocation to Gauteng had been deferred to the chief whips’ forum, which met on Wednesday, on the request that the report be made available to MPs.

Space utilisation study

In the wake of much discussion in Thursday’s Programming Committee meeting, Mapisa-Nqakula said Cabinet would be briefed on the socio-economic impact study on the relocation of Parliament.

“Next week Monday, the secretary of Parliament will be briefing the Executive Authority on that report because apparently this has not happened before.

“After that briefing, we are hoping that we will be able [hand over] the report to the chief whips’ forum.

“This is just a matter of principle in terms of processes that we don’t just throw the report to members of Parliament without the Executive Authority having had sight or even a discussion of that report,” she said.

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House chairperson for committees, Cedric Frolick – who attended Wednesday’s forum meeting – revealed that the socio-economic impact study was merged with a previous report.

“Yesterday I did refer to a report [which] was on a space utilisation study that was done by Parliament in 2008-2009. That [report] was subsequently presented to the chief whips’ forum at the time and those parties who were part of the forum will obviously have that in their records. There’s nothing wrong to make that report available.

“I [was] informed after yesterday’s meeting that in fact the key elements that report of 2008-2009 [has been] incorporated into this new socio-economic study that is there,” he said.

Private Member’s Bill

MPs, however, insisted that the report be circulated amongst themselves as agreed on Wednesday’s chief whips forum meeting.

“What is the problem about this report? Why can’t we get access to it because we want read it for ourselves. It looks like we are going in circles,” Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) deputy president Floyd Shivambu said.

In the previous Programme Committee meeting, EFF MP Hlengiwe Mkhaliphi explained that the report would form an essential part of the party’s draft legislation.

The EFF, which has tabled a Private Member’s Bill, had requested from the then acting secretary to Parliament for a copy of the report that had been handed over in January 2022 after Pamoja (Pty) Ltd conducted research into Parliament’s relocation to Tshwane.

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In her response, Mapisa-Nqakula said she was unaware of resolution taken by the chief whips forum and insisted that “there is nothing sinister being done”.

“We met as the Executive Authority, together with the secretary of Parliament, and we agreed on proper processes. In the first instance, that report was commissioned by the Executive Authority and to date they have not been briefed on the contents and recommendations coming out of that report. That is the only reason, not that there’s anything to hide,” she said.

The Speaker said she would “deal with the matter outside of this meeting”.

The damage of the 2 January blaze that devastated the National Assembly and severely damaged the Old Assembly wing revived calls for Parliament’s relocation.

According to a 2016 report, the cost to move Parliament could amount to R7 billion, but it also expected to save the country between R500 million and R750 million a year in the future.

A 2019 study also found that the move would also mean uprooting 1 400 parliamentary staff and their families.