Parliament searching for venue to host Godongwana's third attempt at tabling a budget
The dome tent which was erected earlier this year for plenary sessions is off limits this May, to allow for it to be reinforced ahead of the winter months and for the interior to be refurbished.
The giant dome is being used as a temporary chamber of the South African National Assembly in Cape Town, South Africa. Picture: Supplied/@ParliamentofRSA
CAPE TOWN - The finance minister's third attempt at tabling a budget has become a logistical headache for Parliament, giving the administration less than three weeks to find a venue to host it.
The dome tent which was erected earlier this year for plenary sessions is off limits this May, to allow for it to be reinforced ahead of the winter months and for the interior to be refurbished.
Both the failed attempt in February and the budget tabling in March were held in the dome, with Parliament's National Assembly chamber currently undergoing post-fire reconstruction.
Parliament is set to return to hybrid plenary sittings in May, allowing for only around 200 MPs to attend physically in the Good Hope Chamber.
Other than the chamber of the National Council of Provinces, there's no space big enough on the parliamentary precinct to accommodate over 400 members and staff since the fire razed two chambers in 2022.
Parliament has had to hire flooring, furniture and information technology equipment to set up the dome as a working space, and is now wanting to acquire permanent fixtures to reduce costs.
The Cape Town City Hall has been used for budget tabling in the past, with costs associated with the Cape Town International Convention Centre used for the inauguration of members said to be too high.
But the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is insistent all members must be present when Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana tables a new budget on 21 May.
The party's Hlengiwe Mkhaliphi: "We can't back to use the virtual platform. As things stand, there's no budget. People are confused, they don’t know what will happen. Now we must be told we must not be grandstanding but we must grandstand because we are protecting the voiceless."
Godongwana revealed in a parliamentary reply to the EFF in April that the Treasury had spent R2.4 million in preparation for the failed budget tabling in February.