The DA claims there's been no proof of a lawful transfer of the allocated billions of rand.
Smoke billows out of the National Assembly building after the fire at Parliament on 2 January 2022 in Cape Town. Picture: Gallo Images
Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on the Financial Management of Parliament (JSCFMP) has dismissed claims of governance issues in the rebuilding of the National Assembly (NA).
This comes after the DA called for an urgent investigation into how the project was handled.
The party claims there’s been no proof of a lawful transfer of the allocated billions of rand. It says there’s no record of Parliament taking over the project, following the 2022 fire.
‘Public knowledge’
However, the standing committee has hit back, saying it is public knowledge that the project had to be transferred from Public Works.
In a strongly worded response, the Joint Standing Committee rejected what it called “attempts to characterise the rebuilding project as unlawful.”
“The DA is clutching at straws. It is a matter of public record that the former Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Ms Patricia de Lille, supported the Development Bank of Southern Africa being appointed to manage the reconstruction project. Parliament subsequently concluded an agreement with the DBSA, acting co‑chairperson Cameron Dugmore said.
Rebuilding
The committee emphasised that the rebuilding was not a unilateral takeover but the outcome of “extensive engagements” between Parliament, the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI), and National Treasury.
“DPWI itself acknowledged it lacked the institutional capacity to deliver a project of this scale and urgency,” Dugmore explained. “That is why Parliament assumed responsibility, with DPWI still represented on the governance structures.”
Development Bank
Parliament appointed the Development Bank of Southern Africa as implementing agent, concluding a formal agreement to govern the relationship.
The committee said this decision was “collaborative and legally informed” within the framework of cooperative government, ensuring accountability in the use of public resources after an unprecedented disaster.
Caution
The Committee urged caution against conflating custodianship of government assets with authority to implement nationally significant infrastructure projects.
“These functions serve different purposes and are governed by different legal and institutional frameworks,” the committee noted.
Mandate
Dugmore added that the DA’s statement “disregards information already placed in the public domain” and confirmed that the committee will conduct an in‑loco oversight visit to the parliamentary precinct on Friday.
“We will continue to exercise our mandate to scrutinise expenditure and implementation. Oversight is our responsibility, but mischaracterisation of lawful processes will not go unchallenged,” he said.
Cost
Last year, The Citizen reported that more than R500 million had already been spent on repairing Parliament after the fire in 2022, with the total cost of the reconstruction project now projected to reach R4.4 billion.
Sections of the National Assembly and Old Assembly buildings suffered major damage during the fire on 2 January 2022.
The reconstruction was expected to be completed in late 2026, following delays that have extended the original deadline.
Zandile Mafe, who admitted to starting the fire and was charged with terrorism and arson, was declared unfit to stand trial in December 2023.
