designers to submit proposals for a uniquely African Parliament
23 April 2007
Pretoria: The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms Sue van der Merwe has
on Monday, 23 April 2007, announced the launch of a continent wide competition
for accredited African architects and designers to submit proposals for the
construction of what has been described as a uniquely African Parliament.
Following a meeting with Minister of Public Works, Ms Thoko Didiza, whose
Department is the lead government agency of the project and the clerk of the
Pan African Parliament, Mr Murumba Werunga representing the President of the
Pan African Parliament, Dr Gertrude Mongella in Pretoria during which final
details of the competition were worked out Deputy Minister Van der Merwe
said,
"We are quite excited about the launch of the competition for a design
befitting what President Thabo Mbeki described as 'The African Parliament of
liberators' at the inauguration of the temporary premises of the Pan African
Parliament in Gallagher Estate, two and a half years ago."
Minister Didiza further explained that the launch of the competition which
closes on 31 May 2007, will be run in two stages according to United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) guidelines. The
first stage being the submission of concept drawings and sketches accompanied
by a report communicating key aspects in the design of the site as a whole and
for all buildings. The jury will for the second stage select five entries as
finalists at which point further instructions for this stage of the competition
will be issued.
Deputy Minister Van der Merwe in making the announcement emphasised that,
"The design competition was a continuation of a process to which we committed
ourselves as South Africa, when we humbly accepted the honour to host the Pan
African Parliament at the African Union (AU) Summit in Ethiopia on 18 March
2004.A commitment that will culminate in a construction of a permanent
state-of-the-art structure to house a truly African Parliament."
In line with the host agreement, South Africa has followed a two phased
approach in hosting the African Parliament. The first phase being a temporary
structure at Gallagher Estate and the second phase initiated by the design
competition for a permanent Parliament, aptly described by the President of the
Pan African Parliament, Dr Gertrude Mongella as "a parliament in which the
voices of all Africans will be heard."
In this regard the launch of the design competition puts paid to the vision
of the South African government when at its inception Foreign Affairs Minister,
Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma said,
"The creation of the Pan African Parliament is the manifestation of the will
of the African people to foster greater unity and economic integration on the
continent and to mobilise its human and natural resources in order to meet the
challenges of globalisation and better the lives of all its peoples."
For more information on the competition, interested parties are kindly
requested to go to: http://www.PAPcompetition.co.za/
effective from 3 May 2007.
Enquiries:
Vincent Hlongwane
Cell: 082 385 1169
Ronnie Mamoepa
Cell: 082 990 4853
Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
23 April 2007
