February 23, 2005
By Anish Abraham
A PLUSH new building to house the Pan African Parliament has gone up at Gallagher Estates in Midrand.
Since its glitzy opening on 16 September 2004, the parliament has settled in at the centre and the new building should entrench the suburb's status as the gathering point for the continent's rulers and policy makers.
The new auditorium, which seats 1 500 people, is next to the existing conference centre; it will cater for the parliamentary delegates.
Spencer Pillai, the general manager of marketing and corporate affairs for Gallagher Estate, said the building would be handed to the national Department of Foreign Affairs, which would add the necessary fixtures and fittings before it gave the chamber to the Pan African Parliament.
"Building construction is completed. Contractors are completing interior furnishings, such as carpeting, window blinds, additional light fittings and so on," Pillai said.
The parliament will consist of 265 delegates from 53 African nations - five members from each country, elected by their respective parliaments. Though it will only sit for two two-week sessions a year, about 540 permanent staff will ensure that it runs smoothly.
While the core staff would occupy the offices throughout the year, Pillai said the chamber would be locked and not used for any other event during the parliament's lease period.
Gallagher Estate was selected to host the seat of the parliament for the next five years, by which time a permanent venue will be acquired.
South Africa's Department of Foreign Affairs said development of the parliament would happen in two phases. Phase one was the modification of Gallagher Estate Conference Centre to accommodate the parliament; phase two was finding an appropriate site for a permanent structure.
The parliament's mandate is to act as a consultative forum for governance and development issues. In future it will be expanded to include harmonising the laws of member countries and possibly passing legislation that is enforceable throughout the continent.
Once the parliament's tenure at the site ends, the offices will be offered to potential tenants and the chamber will be included as another venue in Gallagher Estate's portfolio.
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