Relocating the Seat of Parliament from Cape Town to Tshwane will cost billions of rand, which the state coffers cannot afford, and it is, therefore, not a sensible proposal from the EFF.
In FF Plus’s view, the greatest consideration is the cost related to the matter.
The Relocation of the Seat of Parliament Bill paints an incomplete picture of the true costs and many factors are not taken into account.
One such factor is that all Parliament’s office bearers and employees will have to be relocated and resettled as well. The Bill does not account for this at all.
Parliament has approximately 1 300 employees. If its officials are added to that number, it is probably about 2 000. These people will have to relocate their families at great cost – with school fees, new school clothes and numerous other factors that are not considered.
It is also given that the existing Buildings of Parliament, which were damaged in a fire, will have to be repaired. The estimated cost to do that is R2 billion, however, the actual cost will probably amount to much more.
An argument put forth was the high travelling costs of Members of Parliament and other office bearers.
It holds no water, though, seeing as there will still be Members of Parliament residing in other provinces, no matter where the Seat of Parliament is located.
Parliament’s committees can continue with their work in a hybrid manner, as they are doing right now.
The EFF likes to boast about its concern for ordinary employees. But in this case, they are the ones being overlooked. The FF Plus does not support the Bill.
By Dr. Pieter Groenewald
