How much will it cost to relocate Parliament from Cape to Pretoria? We will find out soon enough, now that a consulting firm has been contracted to carry out a feasibility study. The plans to move Parliament to Pretoria have been on the cards for a while, feasibility studies were carried out in 1995, 1997, 2011 and now again in 2018.
Baleka Mbete, National Assembly Speaker, said in Parliament on Tuesday that work will start this month and a report should be expected in six months. An external service provider‚ Phamoja PTY Ltd‚ has been appointed.
Government has been pursuing the relocation because the running costs of two capital cities is too high and not sustainable.
“Departmental officials and members of the executive are commuting between the two capitals at huge financial cost, sometimes for engagements that last less than four hours. This status quo can no longer be justified. In light of this reality, I believe that our contribution as this Parliament towards directly saving costs in the long term must include advice to the next Parliament to embark on the programme of relocating this institution,” said Mbete.
Government incurs the costs of staff‚ vehicles and houses‚ among other logistical costs‚ to all members of the executive and deputies in Pretoria and Cape Town. Previous estimates of the move come in at around R7-billion‚ but take into consideration that it would save between R500-million and R750-million a year.
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