Parliament coega

Photo: Screenshots from video.

Inside parliament: Severe structural damage, mosquitoes and rotten fish

The structural engineers appointed to assess the parliamentary precinct revealed that the Hawks completed their investigation of the buildings this week.

Parliament coega

Photo: Screenshots from video.

The company appointed by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure to assess the damage caused by the devastating fire that raged in the parliamentary precinct at the start of the year presented the findings of its initial report to the Joint Standing Committee on Financial Management of Parliament on Friday, 1 April.

INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF DAMAGE TO PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS

Christo Beukes, the programme manager for the Coega Development Corporation on the project, led the MPs through the presentation.

In summary, the current structural damage to both the Old Assembly and National Assembly buildings does not pose a risk of collapse.

“Our initial structural pronouncement was that the investigations by the Hawks and fire forensics can continue,” said Beukes.

However, there is severe structural damage to the central concrete structure of the National Assembly from the 2nd floor to the 6th floor.

The initial assessment revealed that temperatures in the entrance lobby may have reached 900ºC. Beukes also pointed out melted metal and shifted walls and floors to MPs – these resulted in cracks in walls of nearly 30mm.

The most pressing concern for the structural engineers was the “making-safe” work required on the Old Assembly where a temporary roof is required to prevent rain damage to lower floors.

Meanwhile, the debris – roof sheeting, ceiling boards, etc – on the National Assembly’s roof must be cleared. Strong winds could potentially blow loose material from the roof into the precinct and the nearby Government Avenue.

Other safety concerns included a fridge with rotten fish and meat in the basement, which may cause serious health risks if opened, said Beukes.

As the National Prosecuting Authority revealed in alleged parliament arsonist, Zandile Mafe’s, last court appearance – the basement of the National Assembly is flooded.

Beukes said there is a “huge breeding of mosquitoes in the water of the basement.”

The smell of rotten eggs persists up to the fourth floor of the building. Coega said the smell could possibly indicate the presence of hydrogen sulphide, which is highly flammable. The City of Cape Town’s fire department will be approached to help with air sampling and the matter will be dealt with.

FLOODED BASEMENT

The Coega Development Corporation said the basement is flooded with millions of litres of water. To date, a contractor appointed by DPWI has pumped out 1.4 million litres of water.

An agreement was reached with the City of Cape Town that allows the said contractor to pump the water into their sewer system. The pumping can only take place between off-peak hours.

“Once extraction is completed the Coega team will inspect the basement areas and incorporate findings into the Phase one initial assessment report and issue the final report,” said Beukes.

Coega will also provide a detailed assessment and draw up a renovation plan for the ravaged parliament buildings.

Beukes revealed that the Hawks completed its investigation of the buildings on 29 March and are in the process of handing it back to the DPWI.