The department of public works and infrastructure is on the verge of appointing a contractor to assess the damage caused by the devastating fire at parliament earlier in January.
On Friday, acting director-general of the department Imtiaz Fazel told the standing committee on the financial management of parliament that the contract could be awarded as early as “today”. The committee is continuing with its probe into the deficiencies in parliament’s security systems, which could have contributed to the fire.
Fazel told MPs that after an initial assessment of the National Assembly, which was badly damaged, the department had determined that it was not safe. Subsequently a scope of work was drawn up with a focus on structural engineering so that certain tests could be conducted to assess the building’s safety; determine the various options in terms of repairing it; and determine the costs. The normal procurement process had been followed and the department was now in the last phase of appointing a panel of experts.
The contractors will be given one week to complete an initial assessment of phase 1 of the project.
“Once the investigating authorities confirm that the contractor team may have access to the investigation site, the contractor will be allocated three weeks to complete the detailed assessment,” Fazel said. The detailed assessment would give the department the option of repairing the building or not.
“We hope to conclude as speedily as possible,” Fazel said. The assessment will also determine the length of time it will take to restore the building.
He said his department, the acting secretary of parliament Baby Tyawa and the Treasury had held meetings on possible funding pending the outcome of the assessments.
It emerged from a briefing by the SAPS divisional commissioner for protection and security services, Lt-Gen Samson Shitlabane that the police are only responsible for access control to the parliamentary precinct and the patrol and protection of the perimeter. Internal security is the responsibility of parliament’s protection services.
Shitlabane said the minimum physical security standards laid down by the SAPS for government institutions and departments stipulated that its perimeter fence should be 3m high but the one at the back of parliament is only 1.3m.
It has not yet been disclosed how arson suspect Zandile Mafe who has been charged with trespassing and terrorism gained access to the precinct. Four SAPS officers are being investigated for the security breach.
Fazel said the department had agreed with the SA Heritage Resources Agency — which limited the perimeter fence of heritage sites to 1.5-metres for aesthetic reasons — as well as with the SAPS and parliament that the perimeter fence would be raised to 2.7-metres. This project was under way.
Tyawa said parliament had made several requests to the SAPS to induct parliament’s presiding officers and staff into the implications of the precinct being declared a national key point under the National Key Points Act but this had not taken place yet.
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