Parliament wants dome used at Madiba's funeral in Qunu as a makeshift chamber

CAPE TOWN - Parliament wants to use the dome structure erected for Madiba’s funeral in Qunu more than ten years ago as a makeshift chamber.

On Monday it met for the first time in a tent erected on a parking lot across the road from Parliament because there’s no venue big enough to accommodate 400 members following the fire of two years ago. 

Tabling the legislature’s budget of R4.4 billion on Monday afternoon, National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza said she'd already met with Public Works Minister Dean Mcpherson to get the dome to Cape Town.

Treasury has allocated Parliament a budget of R3.2 billion, which includes a R500 million allocation for the restoration of its fire-damaged buildings. 

The rest of the budget is made up of savings and a billion rand allocation previously granted by Treasury for the rebuilding project. 

Didiza said that not having a permanent chamber in which to meet was hampering the work of the House. 

"The department will now engage Parliament and the ministry of defence to ensure that we move this dome and construct it here, so that from now on, we can have a structure where we can continue to meet as Parliament."

EWN understands that the structure is currently stored in Pretoria. 

It would have to be transported to Cape Town and erected here by the defence force. 

Its condition is, however, still unknown. 

Parliament has been using the Cape Town City Hall for joint sittings of both Houses, including the past three State of the Nation Addresses and last week's Opening of Parliament Address. 

It’s also made use of the Cape Town and Century City convention centres for the first plenary sessions of the seventh Parliament following the May elections.