Minister Confirms No Evidence of Lawful Transfer of R4 Billion Parliament Rebuild Project

Statement by Rikus Badenhorst MP – DA NCOP Whip:

The Democratic Alliance (DA) will call for an urgent parliamentary investigation after the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, confirmed that his Department has been unable to find any evidence that the Parliament Rebuild Project was ever lawfully transferred from the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) to Parliament during the tenure of his predecessor, Minister Patricia de Lille.

After instructing the Director-General to investigate departmental records, the Minister confirmed that DPWI could find “no formal transfer of the project, no written delegation of powers and no documentation transferring custodial responsibility from the Department to Parliament”.

He further stated that, because no such records exist, the Department cannot explain what actions previous Ministers may have taken.

Despite the apparent absence of a documented transfer, Parliament proceeded to appoint the DBSA as implementing agent for rebuilding the seat of South Africa’s democracy.

As a member of the Joint Standing Committee on the Financial Management of Parliament (JSCFMP), I will request that the Committee urgently require Parliament’s administration to explain:

• ⁠under what legal authority Parliament assumed responsibility for the rebuild project;
• ⁠what documentation or legal opinions were relied upon before appointing the DBSA as implementing agent; and
• ⁠whether all statutory requirements were satisfied before procurement and implementation commenced.

The DA will also request that:

• ⁠all legal opinions, delegations, agreements and correspondence relating to the alleged transfer be tabled before the JSCFMP;
• ⁠former Minister Patricia de Lille be invited to the JSCFMP explain whether any decision was taken during her tenure to transfer responsibility for the project and, if so, why no documentary record exists within DPWI; and
• ⁠any evidence of maladministration or unlawful conduct be referred to the appropriate oversight and law-enforcement authorities.

If no lawful transfer took place during the tenure of Minister Patricia de Lille, Parliament must explain on what legal basis it assumed responsibility for the project and appointed the DBSA as implementing agent.

We also welcome Minister McPherson’s commitment to investigate how this occurred, whether officials should be held accountable, and how the oversight can be rectified.

The DA will ensure this matter receives the rigorous parliamentary oversight it deserves and that any governance failures are fully exposed and appropriately addressed.