Africa-Press – South-Africa. The president is expected to deliver the 2027 State of the Nation address from the country’s new R4.4 billion seat of Parliament in Cape Town.
This is the timeline set by the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA), which is acting as the implementing agent of the Parliamentary rebuild project.
South Africa’s National Assembly and Old Assembly Buildings were gutted by a fire in January 2022.
The fire, which has been attributed to arson, raged for almost three days and took over 300 firefighters to bring under control and eventually extinguish
Because of the fire’s damage, both buildings were declared unsafe and inaccessible, and plans were put in place to rebuild and refurbish the structures and surroundings.
According to the DBSA’s latest report on the progress of the build, the project is progressing within stated timelines and within budget.
However, the project’s budget has continued to climb, while the deadline has been repeatedly pushed out.
After initially being budgeted at R2 billion, with a completion date in February 2026 and handover in May 2026, the total cost is now expected to be R4.4 billion, with completion in November 2026 and handover in January 2027.
The DBSA noted that the total budget requirements for the refurbishment and rebuilding of both the National Assembly and the Old Assembly amount to R3.6 billion, but this excludes project management fees.
However, it does include around R900 million for ICT integration.
While the initial budget was R2 billion, the group said this was provisional, as it was set before concepts and detailed designs for the project were available.
Now, with demolition, design, construction, ICT integration, and refurbishment, the total stands at approximately R4.4 billion, the DBSA said.
In terms of timelines, the Development Bank said that full practical completion is targeted for November 2026, with snag list adjustments done in December 2026.
For the Old Assembly, progress was initially delayed due to compliance with heritage regulations from the South African Heritage Resources Agency, it noted.
Full commissioning of the buildings is anticipated by January 2027.
The aim is to have the new parliament ready for the president’s use in February 2027 for the State of the Nation Address.
While the rollercoaster of South African and Government of National Unity politics makes even an 18-month look forward to 2025 risky, it is presumed that President Cyril Ramaphosa will still hold office by then.
This could change based on the 2026 municipal election results or any major shifts in the makeup of the GNU. However, assuming stable governance moving forward, Ramaphosa should still be in charge.
According to the DBSA, the design of the new parliament building has been approved and finalised, with the project receiving heritage approval late last year.
With the demolition and clearing completed and contractors appointed in June 2025, the project has been approved for an 18-month construction period.
However, it warned of possible delays, risks and other issues tied to bad weather in Cape Town, space limitations for materials and various other conditions that might crop up.
The basement levels are expected to be completed by September 2025, reflecting about 15% progress. The bulk of the building work is expected to be finished by September 2026, with the ICT integration and external works done by November 2026.
What the new parliament will look like
Parliament previously presented a virtual tour of the build, along with other concept and design images which can be viewed below:
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