Upgrades to the National Assembly (NA) Chamber and refurbishing lifts in the Parliamentary precinct have been carefully planned to minimise inconvenience and will not affect the smooth operation of the national legislature.
Nor will the key events on South Africa’s political calendar be affected.
These are the State of the Nation Address on 13 February 2014, the Budget Speech on 26 February 2014, the first sittings of the National Assembly and National Council Provinces of the fifth democratic Parliament and the State of the Nation Address, both the second State of the Nation Address and the first sittings take place after the 2014 elections. The date for the election is yet to be announced.
The NA Chamber upgrade will be complete by the end of December and includes increasing the number of seats in the bay for Directors-General.
Installing new electronic equipment for Members to use during sittings will also be completed by the end of December and testing the new equipment is planned for January 2014.
Electronic equipment in the Chamber was last installed in 2003 and has long passed its usual five-year lifespan.
The upgraded equipment, installed on Members’ desks in the Chamber, gives them access to electronic versions of the daily Parliamentary papers, to loudspeakers and microphones so that they can follow and take part in debates in the House and to vote on issues before the House, when required to do so.
A new feature is the installation of biometric readers, which operate in terms of fingerprint identification of Members. These biometric readers will enable Members to log on to their desktop Chamber computers and to have their votes recorded electronically. The readers can also capture attendance of plenary sittings.
Biometric readers were installed in the National Council of Provinces Chamber when that Chamber was upgraded in 2011 and most of the 54 permanent delegates to the Council use the biometric reader to access their Chamber computers.
Biometric readers will be activated to capture attendance once an attendance policy is finalised. Currently, Members’ attendance of House and Committee sittings is the responsibility of their political parties.
The refurbishing of a number of lifts in the Parliamentary precinct has started and the planned work programme is scheduled to continue until June 2014.
Below is the planned schedule of the lift refurbishment and the lifts affected.
Work has started and is scheduled to finish mid-February 2014.
- 100 Plein Street – one of the two passenger lifts
- National Council of Provinces building – library lift
- Marks Building - both passenger lifts in main foyer
- Old Assembly building – one passenger lift at the front of the building and one at the back, “Glaskas” lift, kitchen lift
Work has started and is scheduled to finish end of February 2014.
- National Assembly building – three passenger lifts on the left hand side of the entrance foyer, two passenger lifts at back of building
Work starts mid-February 2014 and is scheduled to finish end of March 2014.
- 100 Plein Street – remaining one passenger lift
- National Council of Provinces building – one passenger lift
- Marks Building – both single lifts at either end of the building
- Old Assembly building – remaining lifts in front and back of building
- National Assembly building – kitchen lift
Work starts end of February 2014 and is scheduled to finish end of June 2014.
- National Assembly – remaining lift at back of building, three passenger lifts on right hand side of entrance foyer
Several lifts in the 120 Plein Street building, which houses government Ministries and departments, are also being refurbished.
