R30m refurbished Nieuwmeester Dome to be handed over to Parliament

As President Cyril Ramaphosa makes the final touches to his 2026 State of the Nation Address (SONA), Speaker of the National Assembly, Thoko Didiza, will officially receive the refurbished Nieuwmeester Dome from the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson.

The Nieuwmeester Dome is expected to be handed over to Didiza on Friday.

The dome, which has undergone a R31.7m in refurbishment, will serve as a temporary venue for parliamentary activities until the completion of the parliament rebuilding project.

Handover

The handover follows a request from Parliament to the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) for essential upgrades to make the facility user-friendly and fully compliant with the operational standards required for parliamentary sittings.

“Following comprehensive refurbishment, the structure is now equipped to support the business of the National Assembly,” said Parliament spokesperson Moloto Mothapo.

Earlier this week, there were reports that the Nieuwmeester Dome would not be ready in time for Ramaphosa’s address.

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National Assembly

The dome was originally procured in 2013 for the funeral of former president Nelson Mandela. It was transported from Pretoria to Cape Town in 2024 to provide a short- to medium-term venue for plenary sittings until the parliament building is rebuilt.

Parliament has been without a National Assembly chamber for almost three years after a blaze on 2 January 2022 gutted the building and some parts of the Old Assembly wing. Zandile Mafe was arrested in connection with the fire.

Massive 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.

ALSO READ: ‘Simply taking too long’ – Macpherson bemoans parliament reconstruction pace