POLL | Should parliament move to the Cape Town convention centre, at a cost of just under R1m a day?

South Africans have reacted to a Sunday Times report claiming that parliament could move to the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), at a cost of about R1m a day.

The CTICC would be a temporary base until parliament’s chamber, which was gutted by fire last month, is repaired. Using the Cape Town city hall, which housed the recent state of the nation address, would cost about the same amount.

The paper claimed National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and her executive management are under pressure to return the National Assembly to physical sittings. Arguments for the full-time return of MPs claim the hybrid model of online and in-person sittings prevents members from exercising proper oversight.

Well-placed sources claim that moving parliament’s work to the CTICC could cost the taxpayer R950,000 a day, or R4.7m a week.

Among the costs are:

• translation infrastructure to accommodate the 11 official languages;
• broadcasting services, with the capacity for hybrid sittings for MPs and ministers who cannot be in Cape Town;
• catering, cleaning and security services and general conferencing systems; and 
• paying the CTICC’s municipal services and property rates and taxes. It would not charge parliament rent.

Parliament later issued a statement saying no costs for moving venues have yet been determined, “either for the CTICC or other venues parliament is considering”.

“In the interest of openness and transparency, parliament will inform the public about the costs of holding sittings at any alternative venue that would be decided once such prices are determined. As we said before, whatever venue parliament opts for must be financially sensible, feasible and strengthen parliament's ability to fulfil its constitutional functions.”

Here's how far the CTICC is from parliament: